Yup, it's true, I am freshly back from a visit to China! Just in case you think I'm lying, here's a pic of me and my pal, similarly-shirted Sundance shorts nerd Todd in Tianamen Square. Boom. It was an amazing trip filled with great people, amazing sights, and—need I mention? So. Many. Dumplings.

Todd and I were in town as guests of and jurors for the 2011 Tudou Video Festival, which focused on short films available on tudou.com. (Described by one and all as 'Chinese youtube'.) This fourth annual installment of the festival was actually held just outside of Beijing at the Goose and Duck Ranch, a resort area that boasted a man-made lake, carnival games, and its own brewery. Needless to say, I felt right at home. 

Even more impressive than the setting were the films, which featured the same combination of scrappy ingenuity and personal storytelling that I have come to expect from Sundance submissions. Maybe it was my ignorance about Chinese censorship laws, but I was also shocked to see how many of them dealt with salacious material in pretty blatant terms. Turns out dick jokes are universal! Todd and I awarded the Independent Spirit Award to "Tide and Wave" by Shen Ao, which  features beautiful cinematography and strong performances. You can see an version with English subtitles right here.

Additionally, the overall winner was Wang Zizhao’s film "Fearless", which features both great character work and some of the aforementioned potty humor. Watch it with English subtitles.