Indie cinema on Chinese mainland

If big names and Hollywood blockbusters aren't for you, most of Beijing's cinemas might not float your boat. Well during this year's festival look no further than MOMA's Broadway Cinematheque-- unique in the capital as it regularly screens art house, or independent, films.

The site's innovative architecture and inspiring ethos create the ideal place to relax and discover.

A haven of calm and creativity await visitors to Beijing's distinctive MOMA complex. The centrepiece is the Broadway Cinematheque cinema surrounded by a lake, seemingly floating on water.

Framed movie posters cover the walls of the cinema's lobby and hundreds of movie books fill the shelves of the shop. But what makes the theater so special is that this is the first art house cinema on the Chinese mainland, screening films, documentaries and foreign films not typically released in more mainstream theaters.

The manager of the theater says that despite their preference for art house films, this doesn't mean commercial films are excluded entirely. They just want to screen good films.

Fu Weijian, Manager of Broadway Cinematheque MOMA, said, "We don't draw a clear line between commercial and art-house films. We just put more effort in to choosing and promoting art-house films, which are usually considered niche."

Although considered different, box office returns for these films have been growing as China's cinematic market expands and audiences look for more diverse movies. Broadway Cinematheque offers the perfect platform for this.

And if you want to really get your fix of film, MOMA regularly hosts seminars, workshops.