7TH EDITION
27 FEBRUARY - 29 MARCH 2026
GHENT
Short Films
Shorts
Wang Guoju, Viv Li, Wang Dazhang
& Qu Zhizheng
2024-2025
Programme
A Winter Mirage 冬蜃市 by Wang Guoju
2024 - 30 min - drama - Mandarin - Subtitles: English
Amid the economic decoupling of 2024, single mother Ailin closes her factory in Yiwu. Struggling to keep her wholesale business afloat, she must reclaim her opera job and come to terms with memories for her father on the Winter Solstice.
A Soil A Culture A River A People 又見炊煙 by Viv Li
2025 - 15 min - drama - English, Tagalog, Chinese, German - Subtitles: English - Venice Film Festival
In a dystopian future where borders between countries are indefinitely closed, a replica of Hannover in China becomes the only way to experience Western culture. Citizen Yu roams around this nostalgic yet eerie town built by the memories of the past. What does he really see?
Assimilation 满堂欢 by Wang Dazhang
2025 - 27 min - drama - Mandarin - Subtitles: English
Bai Ye must navigate within a family that feigns harmony, confronting the dilemma of whether to assimilate or stay true to herself.
12 Moments Before the Flag Raising Ceremony 升旗手 by Qu Zhizheng
2025 - 16 min - coming-of-age - Mandarin - Subtitles: English - Belgian Premiere - Cannes Film Festival
In the capital city of Beijing, a middle school is about to hold a flag-raising ceremony. However, the flag raiser, Feng Xiao, is struggling with a growing urge to step down. Unfortunately, this is not a gentle winter for him.
Introduction by Thomas Hoebeke (Kuleshov, Urgent.fm).
About the Directors
Wang Guoju (A Winter Mirage)
Wang Guoju (°Jinhua) studied music and philosophy before beginning his filmmaking journey in 2021. His work blends historical narratives with Buddhist philosophy to explore contemporary Chinese society. His documentary Letter From Ruin screened at the 2022 Shanghai Youth Film Festival, and his screenplay A Winter Mirage was selected for the 2024 Beijing International Film Festival ReelFocus Workshop.
Viv Li (A Soil A Culture A River A People)
Viv Li (°Beijing, 1990) is a Chinese filmmaker based in Berlin. Her film Across The Waters was nominated for the Short Film Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival and won the Lights On Women’s Worth Award. Her recent short, A Soil A Culture A River A People competed for the Orrizonti Best Short Film Award at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. Her short documentary I Don't Feel At Home Anywhere Anymore received a Jury Special Mention at IDFA 2020. Viv is currently working on her feature debut supported by Sundance Institute, Berlinale Talents and Chicken&Egg pictures.
Wang Dazhang (°Anhui) holds a master's degree in Film and Television Creative Practice from the University of East Anglia, UK, and a second master's degree in Film Production from the London Film School. His short film Have I Found You was selected as one of the best short films at the Shanghai University Television Festival and won the Top 10 Short Films award at the Huichuang Youth competition in 2017. Another short film, Childcare, earned the Third Prize in the Sixth Safe China Micro-video Competition. He is currently working on his first feature film script.
Qu Zhizheng (12 Moments Before the Flag-Raising Ceremony)
Zhizheng Qu (°Beijing, 2001) holds a BFA in Cinematography from Beijing Film Academy, where he is currently pursuing an MFA degree. His graduation film 12 Moments Before the Flag-Raising Ceremony was selected for the La Cinef section of the 2025 Cannes International Film Festival. He is currently developing a hybrid documentary short and a feature-length screenplay.
