In recent years, Zhang Ziyi’s (章子怡) interests turned to film production. In addition to producing several projects, she took a small step in directing the segment Poem <詩> in the film My Country, My Parents <我和我的父輩>. The film was a box office hit, earning 1.4 billion Chinese yuan and won her accolades including Best Actress and Best Director at the 14th Macau International Movie Festival, as well as Most Popular New Director at the 2022 Film China Movie Channel Media Awards. These awards showed the industry’s strong confidence in Zhang Ziyi’s directorial talent.
With her passion for directing growing stronger, Zhang Ziyi has quietly been preparing for her first, full-length directorial project, titled Swimming 100 Meters From the Coast <游過海岸一百米>. It was recently officially greenlit, signaling that production is set to begin. The film follows a girl who, after the death of her grandmother learns about her grandmother’s arduous journey across Anhui, Fujian, and Taiwan in search of her long-lost father. With the help of others, the elderly grandmother eventually fulfills her father’s last wish, preventing a lifetime of regret. Reports suggest the film is scheduled for release in 2027 and the news quickly ignited online buzz, with netizens expressing excitement for “Director Zhang’s masterpiece.”
Zhang Ziyi will also be acting in the film and has invited rising young actress Vicky Chen (文淇) to co-star and enlisted the help of her long-time collaborator and renowned screenwriter Li Yuan (李媛), forming what is being dubbed “The Ultimate Trio.” Vicky, a former child star, is also a force to be reckoned with. She is set to turn 22 next month and recently graduated from Beijing’s Central Academy of Drama’s acting department. Netizens humorously describe her as a new graduate with ten years of experience, since she won both the Golden Horse and Taipei Film Festival awards for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 14 for her role in The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful <血觀音>. In the first half of this year, Wen Qi’s film box office performance placed her in the Top 10 among actresses and she also attended the Berlin Film Festival this year, showcasing early signs of global stardom.
Source: [1]
This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.
