Live-streaming is hot in China. Anyone can do it: for the lucky it provides a route to (ephemeral) stardom. For others, less fortunate, it is just a way to express themselves more or less freely in a society with few other outlets. From 800 hours of live-stream footage she recorded, Zhu Shengze has crafted something magical: an acutely humane, precisely articulated, eloquent snapshot of Chinese people today, their marginal voices made vibrant, resonant, and never less than compelling.

Director: Zhu Shengze

Runtime: 124 mins