Alex Jiang

After years apart, a father stops by at his son's new, empty house.

The title "The Hostage" draws inspiration from a poem and a friend's real-life story. This film examines a Chinese woman's journey to America to give birth to an anchor baby, reflecting the struggles of over 10,000 women who make this choice annually. Isolated in a foreign land, she grapples with suffocating doubts: Am I ready for motherhood? Did I make the right decision? Confined to one apartment, the story uses surrealism to depict her inner turmoil. The film also explores human connection, transcending language and cultural barriers, showcasing how women support and empower one another despite their differences.

When homosexuality was depathologized in China in 2002, it still remained a taboo for the most. Homosexual lovers lived in the shadow of marginalization, defending their silent love against the prying gazes. It is also in this year that Xia Gu and Amber Zheng, two lesbian lovers, choose to adopt the 10-year-old Ellie from the orphanage. Yet facing the strong opposition from her traditional parents, Xia is torn in halves and forced to rethink what a family truly means to her. At the same time, her self-doubt also stirs up insecurities inside Amber and Ellie. When she decides to return to hometown to take care of her suicidal mother, the tension in this newly formed family mounts up once again.

Queer love and loss at the height of the AIDS epidemic, Anti-Venom follows Marcos, the voyeuristic drag artist by the name Evita Envy, as he copes with the loss of his soulmate and his own weakening body.