Director Zhu Xinyi: Sci-fi movies bring me peace of mind

"Grace Period", a short film directed by Zhu Xinyi, was screened at the Beijing International Film Festival. It recounts the story of a young female screenwriter who persisted in believing in herself and resisted bravely when faced with pressure and contradictions from the outside world.

Zhu told CGTN that the film relates to her own experience and stems from injustices she has suffered. "I hope everyone who sees this short film will be braver than me," she said.

She studied psychology as an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and once aimed to be a psychiatrist. But she realized this wasn't what she wanted.

During her undergraduate years, she joined film-related clubs and was involved in script development and production design, and found that she enjoyed working in the art department.

Zhu is very passionate about feminism and social issues, and she wants to try to make more sci-fi films.

In 2023, she filmed her first sci-fi short film, Mama And Her Sleepless Nights. The film is set in a science fiction setting and tells the story of a mother and daughter. "I had a lot of fun filming this movie," Zhu said.

"My experience studying and working with science fiction – specifically researching, writing and producing the proof of concept for MY DEAR GUMI brought me a very peaceful mind," Zhu said, "I love staying in my room all day, immersed in watching movies and reading." At the same time, she felt that science fiction novels gave her a lot of strength and made her more confident.

When it comes to how to balance self-expression and audience orientation, she believes that communication with the audience is very important. As her teacher once said, limitations are also liberation, and she believes that limitations can allow everyone to experience something truly creative because when there are no limitations, things may become uncontrollable.

"I work more for audience-oriented rather than self-expression. Because if I express myself and only a really small group of people can resonate, I just don't feel it's meaningful enough," Zhu said, "Because film is such a powerful tool when we have it in our hands. I feel obligated or I want to use it to do something, maybe push social understanding about women and other social issues."

Cameraman: Zheng Hao