Moon in the Water

After relocating to New York from China, Zhulan finds herself struggling to adjust to her new life. The language barrier, cultural differences, and diverse religious beliefs make her feel exceptionally lonely and she must find a way to adapt before it’s too late to save her 45-year-long marriage.

Directed by Jingwen Fang
Produced by Nadine Jin

Director’s Bio: Jingwen is a writer, director, and producer based in New York City, originally from Changsha, Hunan, China. She is currently a film student at Columbia University. Jingwen embarked on her journey as a director just one year ago, and “Moon in the Water” is the first short film she officially created. She possesses a sensitive perception of life, especially women’s lives, which serves as a primary source of inspiration for her work. Jingwen excels in depicting nuanced emotions, using visuals to convey poetic sentiments. She hopes that her films will continue to move gracefully like wind playing wind chimes, allowing more people to see different aspects of women and their lives.

Plays in

Poetry of Time

The films in this showcase explore themes of age, memory, separation, and reunions; they capture the silent poetry of life, where time is sculpted through long, lingering gazes and stories unfold not in action, but in the spaces between. We celebrate the beauty and significance of time, and how it can be experienced in diverse and meaningful ways.