International Premiere
In the borderlands of Northern China, 10-year old Amu is determined to save his beloved horse from castration.
Content Considerations: Animal violence
Media Partner
Aban, Yang Yang, Si Feng
China/USA
2026
In Chinese with English subtitles
This short is featured in:
Short Forum 2: Anthropomaxx
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Zichen Zhao
Screenwriter
Yue Zhang, Zichen Zhao
Cinematography
Junxiong Zhu
Editor
Zichen Zhao, Yue Zhang
Production Design
Jingru Song
Original Music
Haozheng Liu, Zijian Guo
Zichen Zhao
Zichen Zhao was born and raised in Kalgan, China. He earned a bachelor’s degree in screenwriting from Beijing Film Academy and a Master of Fine Arts in film from Columbia University in New York. The short films he has directed and produced have been selected for prestigious film festivals, including VIFF, Palm Springs ShortFest, HollyShorts, FIRST International Film Festival, and Cleveland International Film Festival. His work focuses on the margins of contemporary life, critically examining gender, historical experience, and collective memory, while exploring a distinctive and expressive cinematic language.
VIFF Short Forum
See more shorts in this series
Short Forum 1: The Scarier One
The return of scary: fear in all its chilling, suspenseful, and unsettling shades.
Short Forum 2: Anthropomaxx
Dogs, frogs, hogs, and more!
Short Forum 3: Workers of the World
The grind of the working class in a system that betrays its promises.
Short Forum 4: Immanence: A Life
You don’t have to look far; life is beautiful!
Short Forum 5: Somewhere Else
If space and time are pure perception, let’s build them differently.
Short Forum 6: Archive Lives!
Before anything becomes archival, it’s lived.
Short Forum 7: War at Home
Truly, no one is safe until everyone is safe.
Short Forum 8: Sticky & Wet
No matter the age, things can always get sticky and wet.
Short Forum 9: Big Time Sensuality
Explorations of desire and intimacy serve both pain and pleasure.
Short Forum 10: Are the Kids Alright?
The future kinda depends on it.