Published: 27 January, 2012
by Susannah Butter

A season of Chinese films is being shown to celebrate Chinese New Year at the British Film Institute, on the Southbank.

Confucius (2010) dramatises the life of the fifth century BC philosopher, at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, when civil war and social upheaval were bringing a violent end to the feudal system of the Zhou dynasty.

The set design and costumes are exquisite and the battle sequences superb. February 4 and 5.

In the moving A Simple Life (2011), critically acclaimed Hong Kong New Wave director Ann Hui addresses the challenges of growing old.

Actress Deanie Ip won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival for her portrayal of a domestic servant who suffers a stroke and is cared for by a man who has been her employer for 60 years.

February 17 and 22.

Unseen China is a series of rarely screened documentaries about modern China. Independent film-makers describe the experiences of people facing dramatic changes to their traditional culture. February 25.

• BFI, Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX, 020 7928 3232. Visit www.bfi.org.uk