A GIRL UNKNOWN (2026), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, succeeds on multiple levels: as a work of art about the struggle of life and the potential for rebirth; an eye-opening journey of a young girl trying to find her place in the world; a statement about the policies of China without falling into tired stereotypes; and ultimately, as a phenomenal film that challenges the viewer about how we should think of families, parenthood, and relationships.

We talked about all of this for this exceptional episode of the podcast.

In this episode, we talk about:

how she made such a soulful film, through the prism of an ending that could have gone five different directions;

why the topic of a young woman looking for her place in the world appeals to her and how this film builds off her award winning short LILI ALONE (2021);

breaking away from the typical tropes of a Chinese filmmaker where one is either viewed as a government plant or a revolutionary;

her strategy of bringing this film to Cannes;

how she hopes to inspire future generations of female filmmakers.

Links:

Follow Zou Jing On Instagram

Watch LILI ALONE (2021)

ScreenDaily's Review Of A GIRL UNKNOWN