Xu Zao’s mellow, melancholy story is told in two modes — one “real” yet animated, the other virtual but filmed live-action. Light Pillar takes place in a decaying, largely disused film studio, where bottom-tier employee Lao Zha (Da Peng) lives and works. His is an empty life — he’s ignored by his workmates, he sleeps and eats alone save for a corpulent cat, and he has no real interests. Then one day, a change comes: in lieu of a salary, Lao Zha is given a virtual-reality setup that takes him into a realm of pleasure, chiefly in the form of a sexy female dancer (Qing Yi).
Xu has a gift for depicting stillness and desolation. His story is a grim one, but it’s presented with humour and whimsy. The film’s detached perspective, minimalist narrative, and sharp wit evoke poets of bleakness like Jim Jarmusch, Aki Kaurismäki, and Don Hertzfeldt, but Xu makes a special imprint of his own, sending up online obsession and showbiz while crafting a lament for the pre-digital world.
Media Partner
Community Partner
Da Peng, Qing Yi
China
2026
In Mandarin with English subtitles
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Da Peng
Producer
Lu Xiaowei, Huang Yue, Shen Hancheng
Screenwriter
Xu Zao
Cinematography
Hao Jiayue
ANIM
Yang Leiting
Editor
Yang Chao, Xu Zao
Production Design
Xu Zao
Xu Zao
Xu Zao, born 1991 in Anshan, Liaoning Province, is a screenwriter, director, and production designer. His animated short No Changes Have Taken in Our Life (2023) premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and won multiple awards at domestic and international film festivals, including DOK Leipzig, Image Forum Festival, and Feinaki Beijing Animation Week. His second short, Love Music Friend (2025), competed at the Shanghai International Film Festival. His debut feature is Light Pillar (2026), which was selected during development for the Young Shoots Project of China Film Director’s Guild as well as the HKIFF Industry Project Market.
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