In conjunction with BAMPFA’s streaming presentation of Lost Course, watch an exclusive conversation with director Jill Li and Rachel E. Stern.

Jill Li is an independent documentary director, illustrator, and former journalist. Her work focuses on individual circumstances and choices in the midst of societal changes. Lost Course is her directorial feature-length documentary debut, awarded the 57th Golden Horse for Best Documentary, selected for the 2020 IDFA Frontlight Tomorrow’s Classic section, 2021 TIDF Asian Horizon competition, 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival, and 2019 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival.

Rachel E. Stern is a professor of law and political science at UC Berkeley, and holds the Pamela P. Fong and Family Distinguished Chair in China Studies. Her research looks at law in Mainland China and Hong Kong, especially the relationship between legal institution building, political space, and professionalization. Stern is the author of Environmental Litigation in China: A Study in Political Ambivalence (Cambridge University Press, 2013), as well as numerous articles on legal mobilization and lawyers in contemporary China.