Fishbone

Xuyu
Zhang

Zhang Xuyu, born in 1993, is a young Chinese film director and screenwriter. His short fictions and documentary shorts have been shortlisted for more than 20 film festivals around the world. He was nominated for the Best Director in the Asian New Current Section of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, and has won the Best Script Writer Award of the Asian New Current Section at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival.

Filmography:
Cinnamon Mint (2019) Short Film
Mr. Darcy (2019) Short Film
Piercing to the Bone (2021) Short Film
Fishbone (2024) Feature Film

Li Qi fails her college entrance exams and refuses her mother’s demand to return to school. Their relationship grows tense. At a birthday party, Li Qi quarrels with classmate and smashes her new iPhone. That single outburst disrupts her quiet summer. Facing pressure to pay for the damage, Li Qi hides it from her mother, vowing to fix it alone. But the secret becomes a burden – like a fishbone in her throat. Li Qi begins to reevaluate her ties to her mother and the world around her.