MARIA Barbieri, an Italian now living in Shanghai, has seen hundreds of Chinese movies, many more than the average Chinese cinema goer.

"I found many Chinese movies to be works of genius which charmed me and helped me understand this society which is so different from that of my own country," she said.

Signora Barbieri works as a consultant in film/TV production and distribution and said she'd rather be called "Maria" because it is easy to remember.

Her other "job" is as the organizer of a movie fan club, "Maria's Choice", inspired by a Beijing film club named, "Sophie's Choice". The club's aim is to provide expatriates with enjoyable Chinese movies. Maria, along with another two fans of Chinese movie-making, Patrick Cranley and Katherine Sima, launched the club in May 2001.

False start

But the first film showing was not a success. "That was because we chose the wrong movie," she said. It was an old movie named "Shanghai Hotel" but about half the audience didn't like it. What the expatiates were more interested in were movies telling stories about modern Chinese society.

Later, Maria started to choose art movies made by Chinese directors. Now the regular club membership stands at 100 and every month they gather in the Kodak Cinema in Xujiahui to enjoy a Chinese movie recommended by Maria.

"Some Chinese directors are real geniuses and extremely smart, such as Zhang Yuan and Jia Zhangke," she said, reciting a long list of their work, some of which many Chinese would never have heard of. Maria said she attended screenings of all Zhang Yuan's movies. He is described as an "underground director" because many of his works have not been publicly distributed because their subject matter is not considered mainstream.

But the movie that impressed Maria the most is Zhang Yimou's "Red Sorghum", released in 1986. It was also the first Chinese movie she ever saw.

"It is totally different from European movies. Its colour, technique and songs had a great impact on me," she said. From that moment, Maria fell in love with Chinese cinema.

Art movies

"For expatriates, the biggest problem is language," she said. "Most Chinese movies, especially art movies, haven't English subtitles. It is hard for foreigners to follow them. What a pity.

"Chinese movie distributors don't seem to care about art movies. So, many valuable movies don't get enough promotion and this is sad because it blocks the march of Chinese movies onto the international stage."

But in other areas the situation was much better than before because artists have more opportunity to develop their talents, Maria said.

"People can find the finance to produce movies independently and the world is paying closer attention to Chinese movies," she said.

But after watching so many Chinese movies, there is still something Maria can't understand.

"I can't endure the way victimized women in Chinese movies never protest, but just sob silently - it is so unbelievable," she said. "I think the power game between men and women in Chinese movies is not very real."

Because the reality, Maria said, is that Chinese women are strong and would not always obey men's power. "The movies mislead audiences," she said.

The second thing she can't understand is why Chinese people do not express everything they think, keeping silent and even suffering unfairness or heartbreak. This also produces many misunderstandings.

"Just take the movie 'Beijing Bicycle' as an example," she said. "The young man goes to Beijing from the countryside and works as a delivery man. His working appliance is a bicycle which helps him realize his dream in the big city by changing his life. One day his bicycle is stolen. Facing this tragedy, his reaction is not anger or protest, but passive endurance and silence. The silence of this man does not break until the end of the movie when he finally fights.

"I can't understand these under-privileged people and their frustrations at all. But my interest lies in observing these differences between us, so I can reflect on them and try to understand."

Maria is one of the first generation of overseas students to study in China. She came to Beijing to learn Chinese as early as 1979.

At that time, the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), had just ended and foreign relations with some Western countries had begun. Maria's motherland, Italy took part in a cultural exchange programme for students.

"It was a big affair at that time and the ministries of foreign affairs of the two countries arranged our study," Maria said.

Fascinated by China

When studying in Italy, Maria's major was Chinese. The country in her eyes was so "exotic and Oriental".

"But the reality was not so pretty," she said. "I found the streets were not so Oriental and full of temples. What upset me was, at that time, we hadn't much opportunity to make Chinese friends."

In the school, overseas students had their own classrooms and dining halls. "It seemed there were always restrictions imposed on us. People treated you in a friendly way but kept their distance. Maybe the economic conditions were a major stumbling block and that made our lives totally different."

Maria's scholarship was 120 yuan (US$15) a month which was equal to three times the wage of the average citizen at that time. "I felt guilty when I went to the friendship store to buy 'luxury goods' - I felt I was a capitalist."

But now Maria said she has many true Chinese friends and life in China is more relaxed and she does not feel "guilty" anymore.

"You know even expatriates have to work hard to find or keep a job - I think we are equal now," she said happily.

Now Maria's dream is to produce a documentary that tells foreign people of the real Shanghai and China.

As a consultant in film and television, she is used to receiving many foreign reporters from different countries who want to make documentaries about Shanghai.

"But I always quarrel with them because their Shanghai in the camera is not real at all," she said. "They always have a Shanghai concept in mind before coming and they just confirm their concept when doing interviews and collecting information."

After watching people who get such a wrong picture of Shanghai after their first visit, they tell Maria that they had not imagined Shanghai as a "city in the future". The real city is totally different from the images they saw on TV.

"But I know that to realize my dream is very difficult," Maria said. "The more you become familiar with the city, the more you want to understand, but the less able you are to say what you want ," she said.

People interested in attending "Maria's Choice" film club, please mail: mariaschoice-subscribe@topica.com to sign up for the email list or you can visit, www.topica.com/lists/mariaschoice for more information.