Zhou Hao worked as a media journalist for a decade before making his directorial debut in 2001 with Houjie Township, a documentary focused on migrant workers. He went on to direct such acclaimed works as Senior Year (2006), Using (2007), Cotton (2014), and The Chinese Mayor (2015), exploring the lives of ordinary people, urban transformation, and social realities through a restrained, observational lens that captures the multifaceted nature of the contemporary society. He has won the Golden Horse Award twice, for Cotton and The Chinese Mayor, and his films have screened at prestigious international festivals including the Sundance Film Festival and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. In 2020, he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
