7.1 From ‘Desire Written on Her Face’ to Venice Best Actress: How Far Has Xin Zhilei Come? Public Issues Beneath the Headlines

Public Issues Beneath the Headlines | Sisyphus Express: In Depth

Sisyphus Express

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Note: This episode was first published on October 2, 2025.

On September 7, 2025, Xin Zhilei won Best Actress at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival for her starring role in The Sun Rises on Us All, becoming the third Chinese actress to receive the honor after Gong Li and Deanie Ip. On September 26, Shu Qi won Best Director at the 30th Busan International Film Festival for Girl, her screenwriting and directorial debut.

Chinese cinema had not received such a concentrated run of exciting news in a long time. This chapter begins with a harvest season for actresses and women directors, and this episode first turns to Xin Zhilei.

From ceremonial hostess to actor, from small television roles to her first leading roles in television and film and now Venice’s Best Actress, Xin Zhilei spent more than a decade gradually entering public view and repeatedly expanding her boundaries.

We are interested in more than her underdog success. From ambition and desire that once drew widespread controversy to the candor and resilience increasingly admired today, her career lets us reconsider how an actress becomes visible and actively fights for the position she wants.

“More Than Xin Zhilei” means more than one actress, more than artistic creation, and more than changes in the cultural environment over the past twenty years.From here, the coming episodes gradually enter works, eras, and the wider world of women creators.