It's only rock 'n' roll, but she likes it

Rudolph cites the "no wave" music movement from the late 1970s as an example of the Beijing rock music community's offbeat character.

No wave, as the New York Times put it, was "a cacophonous, confrontational subgenre of punk rock" that was "perhaps the strangest and shortest-lived" period of music in the history of experimental music in New York.

Now, the Beijing rock scene has not only resurrected this obscure genre, but embraced it.

After one Chinese bandleader discovered, and subsequently became hooked on, the no wave band, DNA, he made DNA T-shirts and sold them at a popular punk music venue in Beijing.

"These T-shirts are now a significant piece of social currency," Rudolph says with a laugh. "It's something that's become a symbol of taste in this particular (rock) scene."

In tribute to this trend, Rudolph included a reference to DNA in her film.

"Something I think is important to the film both in the way it was made and what it represents is that none of the community would be possible if people didn't support their friends," Rudolph says.

The young director said she felt a particular freedom while working in China to pursue her passions and interests - and even to make mistakes.

"I'm really fortunate that I found people that I could connect with and found the cultivation of stories that are compelling," she says. "Being around people who are genuinely excited about what they're doing, in terms of both music and filmmaking, is unbelievably exciting."

Ultimately, Rudolph hopes this enthusiasm translates to her film.

On Kickstarter, she writes, "(Iceberg) feels like a night at a Beijing rock club: energetic, passionate, a little bit surreal and full of potential."

Contact the writer at carolineberg@chinadailyusa.com.