Variety is unveiling the first trailer for “Shanghai Daughter,” the debut feature from Chinese filmmaker Agnis Shen Zhongmin that will world premiere in the Panorama section of the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival.
The drama follows Ming, a Shanghai woman who travels alone to a rubber tree plantation in Xishuangbanna, along China’s southwestern border, searching for people who knew her late father during the Cultural Revolution’s Down to the Countryside Movement half a century earlier. As the old production team house faces demolition and mining companies and modern agricultural projects transform the land that once held rubber plantations, Ming encounters a farm officer, rural doctor, Dai elder, rubber tapper, young ecologist and a mysterious woman with a special connection to her.
The film draws from Shen Zhongmin’s personal experiences. “The seed of this film was sown 14 years ago, when my father had just passed away from illness,” the director explains in her statement. “His death and absence drove me to embark on a journey alone to the remote tropical land.”
Repeated visits over the years fostered a deep bond with the region and its people. “Rooted in my family history, this film expands its thematic scope to an exploration of ecofeminism as well as the pivotal chapters of China’s social history,” Shen Zhongmin says. “And for me, it is also an experiment to explore a non-dual realm that blurs the lines between fiction and documentary, and between the private and the public, through a simple and meditative cinematic language.”
The production features non-actors and real-life individuals alongside lead actress Liang Cuishan, who previously appeared in “Cloud in Her Room,” which won the Golden Tiger Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam, and “Till Love Do Us Part,” which screened at Pingyao International Film Festival.
“Beyond the non-actors/real-life individuals and the female lead, the landscapes, flora, and fauna of southwest China are also portrayed as silent characters in their own right,” Shen Zhongmin adds. “I hope this film can immerse the audience in a tangible geographical space, inviting them to walk, observe, listen, and feel alongside the characters.”
Shen Zhongmin is also a writer and author of short story collections including “Notes on Shanghai Geography,” “Deep Simulator” and “A Traveler’s Desire.” She graduated from Tongji University with a degree in film directing and screenwriting, and previously worked as a journalist and newspaper editor before moving into cross-disciplinary practice in contemporary art, literature and film.
Producers are Xu Ruijing and Liao Yong for Twelve Oaks. Cinematographer is Pu Wei, with sound supervision by Dukar Tserang. The project was previously selected for the work-in-progress section of SIFF Project at the 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival.
Parallax Films is handling international sales. The film is shot in Mandarin Chinese and Dai dialect.
Watch the trailer here:
English (US) ·