The screening on 29 November will be followed by an in-person Q&A with the director Yang Hao and a book signing session of the director’s new book behind making of the film Disconnected: A Happy Excursion Against the Digital Leviathan [Chinese version].

In contemporary China, the smartphone is more than a device — it is a wallet, a map, an identity, and a gateway to everyday life.

In his debut documentary, artist and filmmaker Hao Yang sets out to explore what happens when these digital networks disappear. Leaving his phone, computer, and all connected devices at home, he travels across China for 134 days, relying only on cash, paper maps, and chance encounters.

What begins as a struggle to navigate a digitally connected society becomes an unexpected journey into human connection, slowness, uncertainty, and freedom. Disconnected asks what remains when we step outside the network — and what we may have lost by always being connected.

p.s. Please note that the book is currently available only in a Chinese version.