Preceded by the film Eyes of the Machine

China: A Stabilising Power?

Ticket

Saturday 14 March – 14h30
Preceded by the film Eyes of the Machine
Espace Pitoëff - Théâtre
Rue de Carouge 52, 1205 Geneva

China increasingly presents itself as a force for stability in a fractured world, championing international cooperation and projecting a pacific image. But how closely does this narrative align with reality?

Often described as a new global empire, China has capitalised on the United States’ retreat from multilateralism to expand its influence and promote its own model through soft power. Should Europe rethink its approach to China or does the country remain, despite its rapid rise, an authoritarian regime responsible for ongoing and serious human rights violations? In this context, is meaningful cooperation possible with a power that openly seeks to challenge Western dominance?

In the presence of the director.

Co-presented with Le Temps
Discussion

Marie Holzman
Sinologist, specialist in contemporary China
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Matthias Sander
Journalist for NZZ, former correspondent in China
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Raphaël Viana David
China Program Manager at ISHR
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Nathan Law
Democracy activist and former Hong Kong legislator (by videoconference)
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Moderators

Frédéric Koller
Journalist and columnist at Le Temps
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Language(s)
Discussions are interpreted in English and French

By Daya Cahen

Eyes of the Machine

Forced to work in an internment camp, Kalbinur Sidik offers a rare testimony on the persecution of the Uyghur people by the Chinese state. By confronting her account with official propaganda, Eyes of the Machine lays bare the mechanisms of a system of surveillance and repression that extends into the private sphere, aiming at cultural erasure and the systematic persecution of the Uyghur people.

Swiss Premiere
Section : Competition - Focus
Country : Netherlands
Original languages : English, Chinese, Uyghur
Subtitles : French, English
Duration
76’
Year
2025
Director
Daya Cahen
Producer
Daya Cahen
Photography
Daya Cahen
Editing
Daya Cahen
Son
Hugo Dijkstal
Daya Cahen
World Sales
Film Harbour