Panda

Forum 2026

A decaying riverbank in wintry, ice-cold Nanjing. In a neighbourhood of crumbling houses lives a group of wraithlike figures. They do not fit into mainstream society and are each unique in their own particular way: an impoverished poet whose verses can heal; a young man attempting to end his life by leaping into the river; a vagabond searching for a dragon so he can return to the sky; and a traumatised young woman seeking comfort from an old friend who has since become a monk. Meanwhile, a severed fingertip has been eaten by a dog; improvised music drifts from a harmonica and the Chinese string instrument, the erhu; a mobile music wagon stands by the river. Surreal, real and hyperreal at once, a world unfolds like a painting in which documentary images and fiction dissolve into one another – as absurd as it is poetic, alive with humour and brimming with humanity. The inner logic of these characters forms the heart of a radically independent spirit, shaped by resilience and a quiet, stubborn defiance.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Xinyang Zhang (Director, Screenplay)
with Xianmin Zhang, Elvis Yang, Han Chen, Jiahe Lyu, Ruyin Zhang Singapore / Hong Kong, China 2026 Mandarin 146' Colour & Black/White World premiere | Debut film

With

Xianmin Zhang
Elvis Yang
Han Chen
Jiahe Lyu
Ruyin Zhang

Crew

Director	Xinyang Zhang
Screenplay	Xinyang Zhang
Cinematography	Carl Hou
Editing	Xiao-Dong Guo, Xinyang Zhang, Tao Gu
Music	Xiaoshu Amy Chen
Sound Design	Ray Zhao
Production Design	Jing Liu, Lu Ding
Costumes	Meijuan Xing
Make-Up	Mingyang Song
Producers	Xiao-Dong Guo, Frank Yung, Yinghao Shan
Executive Producer	Xianmin Zhang

Produced by

Levo Films

Singapur, Singapore

Hong Kong Spark Peak Entertainment Group

Hongkong, Hong Kong, China

Xinyang Zhang

Xinyang Zhang is a film director, scriptwriter, photographer and poet. In 2019, he was awarded a full scholarship for Jia Zhangke's ‘Next Talent Project’, which led him to the Film Production Department at Vancouver Film School, Shanghai. His short film My Poem garnered the New Filmmaker Award at Beijing International Short Film Festival in 2019. As a director of photography (Aka. Young Zhang), his short films have earned awards, including a Special Mention for Best Short Film at Busan International Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

Filmography

2018 My Poem; short film 2026 Panda

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026