Mint Chinese Film Festival

MINT Chinese Film Festival (MINT CFF) “薄荷紫华语电影节” is an award-winning film festival and leading curatorial organisation founded by Chinese film curator Yixiang Lin and Dr Carol Rennie, parliamentary researcher and former co-owner of Keswick Alhambra Cinema. We are the first women-led Chinese film festival in the UK, focussed on cross-cultural communication and women’s representation. We hold an annual film festival around Chinese New Year, together with a large network of curators, and volunteers, we organise film releases, touring programmes, and film screenings, alongside other artistic and cultural events across the UK and abroad.

The first four editions of the MINT have brought audience to cinemas in Keswick and Kendal in Cumbria - one of the least ethnically diverse counties in the UK - for long weekends of film and a guided walk in a part of the country most of them will have never visited before - and MINT has seen many attendees forge social networks as a result of participation in our festival - as volunteers and returning audience members. Each edition of our annual festival presents a rich selection of new Chinese and Asian film through curated programme of screenings, alongside a festival gala, director Q&As, workshops, networking sessions, live gigs, outdoor activities, and other cultural highlights such as Asian Arts and Crafts Markets, Chinese New Year celebration.

It is held around Chinese New Year - a time when many Chinese audiences to the UK will be missing the festive cheer of ‘home’. Complementary cultural activities that we put on alongside the film festival have allowed local Cumbrian townspeople to get a taste of Chinese New Year celebrations - a lion dance, paper crafting, tai chi sessions - so that there is something for everyone, not just film buffs.

Our Vision

We are dedicated to curating underrepresented voices, images, and stories by actively discovering, supporting, and presenting the works of Chinese and Asian creators and women directors. We are devoted to championing creators from these communities, and are actively fostering meaningful collaboration with cultural practitioners, organisations, and individuals who are interested in Chinese culture, Asian cinema and engaged in our women-centric curation, from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Since 2025, we have expanded our curatorial focus beyond Chinese cinema to embrace the wider Asian presence. We aim to showcase bold, high-quality independent films, along with other cultural and artistic works—particularly those created by women. Our goal is to bring these works and the unique curatorial spirit of MINT CFF to regions that rarely have the opportunity to engage with Chinese and Asian cinema.

Professional Associations & Networks

We are a member of the ICO International Film Festival Network, the first Chinese film festival to join, representing Asian festival organisers both UK-wide and internationally.