Xu Zao's Following Up 'Light Pillar' With AI Joint 'Easy, My Friend'

Xu Zao came through with "Light Pillar," a debut animated feature that's been making waves on the festival circuit. The film just landed in the Hidden Dragons section at the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival, competing among other Chinese-language projects. Thing is, "Light Pillar" still doesn't have distribution locked in China, which tells you something about how experimental the whole thing is.

But Zao's not sleeping on it. Dude's already got his next project lined up: "Easy, My Friend," which centers on AI as its whole vibe. That's a bold pivot for a first-timer—most directors play it safe after debut runs, but this cat's going straight into thematic territory that's got everyone thinking right now.

The fact that "Light Pillar" follows a character working at a crumbling film studio in northern China suggests Zao's interested in telling stories about institutions, craft, and maybe how they're changing. An AI-focused follow-up makes sense in that context. We're watching a young voice emerge who's not afraid to dig into what's real and what's artificial.

Chinese cinema's been sleeping on bold new directorial voices for too long. If Zao can land both these projects proper distribution, that's a whole different conversation.

Read the full story at Variety → https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/light-pillar-director-xu-zao-ai-themed-easy-my-friend-1236877974/