CHINA 354

2025
EDITION

Weaving together 354 one-minute video fragments of director Luis Cuenca Castro’s daily encounters across the vast and diverse nation, CHINA 354 opens the doors to the world of everyday life and the thoughts of the Chinese people through numerology, symbolism, and the rhythms of daily routines. 

Typically presented in an exhibition format with the videos playing at the same time, this special screening presents a thoughtful selection of these minutes of curiosity and connection, allowing viewers to follow the director on his journey through China’s 31 provinces. Initially conceived as a daily visual journal, the work grew with each moment of reflection, from perceptions on the passing of time, to the relationship between viewer and the viewed. Contrasting the deluge of short-form video that now dominates our social media algorithms, the one-minute limitation of the videos became motivation to engage deeply with each moment to extract the essence of every story – to pay close attention to each irreplaceable moment.

Through this meditation, the documentary film which started as study of China also became study of self. As the director notes: “We look for ourselves in other people’s stories. Scenes from the neighborhood street and the conversation with people are a realtime cinematic experience.”

Admission is free. Attend this special screening of CHINA 354 at the Cervantes Institute of Shanghai, as part of AECF2025 by scanning the QR code below (CN): 

Discover the full AECFest programme.

Director: Luis Cuenca Castro 

Producer: Jenny Chou ( ATLAS Studio, China),  Larry Levene (Es.Docu, Spain) 

Language: Chinese / English 

Subtitle: Chinese / English / Spanish 

Curator: Fosi Vegue / Aimee Lin 

Luis Cuenca Castro was born in Madrid, Spain in 1973. After relocating to the USA in 1999, he studied Film Production at NYU and USC summer programs, with additional training in screenwriting at UCLA. He later worked with legendary producer Roger Corman as both an editor and assistant director. In 2003, he established his own production company, Mudbath Film, where he produced his independent films alongside commercial projects. His work rejects polished conventions in favour of a cinéma vérité aesthetic rooted in ritual, presence, and personal mythmaking. Arriving in China in 2012, he learned the language and immersed himself in its culture. The country offered the spatial and cultural expanse needed to develop a style he’d unconsciously awaited for decades—a vision that would take another ten years to fully crystallize as his own Kino-Primitiva, a Lumière-influenced cinematic language. This artistic evolution unfolded alongside his decade-long immersion in the production of CHINA 354.
Luis Cuenca Castro was born in Madrid, Spain in 1973. After relocating to the USA in 1999, he studied Film Production at NYU and USC summer programs, with additional training in screenwriting at UCLA. He later worked with legendary producer Roger Corman as both an editor and assistant director. In 2003, he established his own production company, Mudbath Film, where he produced his independent films alongside commercial projects. His work rejects polished conventions in favour of a cinéma vérité aesthetic rooted in ritual, presence, and personal mythmaking. Arriving in China in 2012, he learned the language and immersed himself in its culture. The country offered the spatial and cultural expanse needed to develop a style he’d unconsciously awaited for decades—a vision that would take another ten years to fully crystallize as his own Kino-Primitiva, a Lumière-influenced cinematic language. This artistic evolution unfolded alongside his decade-long immersion in the production of CHINA 354.

PARTNER

Asia-Europe Cultural Festival 2026 Programme Partner - Insituto Cervantes