The 2024 Chinese Microfilm Festival, themed “Our Community, Our Stories”, took place on Thursday, November 7th, at the Coffman Theater. Organized by the Chinese Flagship Program, the festival celebrated storytelling and cultural diversity through microfilms created by Chinese learners from the University of Minnesota and eight Minnesota schools. The event received over 100 microfilm submissions from more than 500 students.
The festival opened with UMN Chinese Flagship student ambassadors engaging the audience in fluent Chinese by asking, “What does community mean to you?” Students described community as a source of love, belonging, and shared perseverance. A highlight of the event was an inspiring presentation by Linda Mealey-Lohmann, a UMN Chinese major alumna, who shared her journey with the Chinese language and her work on the China Garden at Lake Phalen, a collaborative cultural project dedicated to fostering cross-cultural understanding.
Sponsored by the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, China Center, College in Schools Program, and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, the festival highlighted the power of storytelling and community engagement, leaving participants inspired and united.