Best Drama
Synopsis
Six months pregnant Xiaoyu, a barbecue shop worker, spirals into despair after her drugtrafficker husband Gangzi is sentenced to death. Torn between abortion and survival, she encounters Cui Jie—a woman running an unlicensed orphanage—at a temple. A car accident caused by Xiaoyu’s panic intertwines their fates. After losing her job, Xiaoyu reluctantly joins Cui Jie’s sanctuary, only to witness a police raid that dismantles the orphanage. Overwhelmed by guilt, Xiaoyu suffers a miscarriage while Gangzi weeps over an ultrasound photo before his execution. In a visceral parallel, Xiaoyu’s lifethreatening childbirth coincides with Gangzi’s lethal
Director Biography – Shuai Zhang
Zhang Shuai, a graduate of the Directing Program at the Beijing Film Academy, is a filmmaker dedicated to realist themes through an incisive visual lens. Specializing in documentaries and short films that lay bare the individual struggles buried within the complexities of contemporary society, his work adheres to the principle of “the camera as a scalpel”—dissecting social facades to expose the raw core of humanity. By grounding his narratives in harsh realities, he forges poignant humanistic insights, transforming gritty textures of life into searing cinematic commentary. His acclaimed Beijing Youth Life Observation Report series, noted for its unflinching portrayal of urban isolation, earned a spotlight at the Rotterdam International Film Festival’s Bright Future section, cementing his role as a chronicler of marginalized voices in China’s shifting cultural landscape.