EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired U.S. distribution rights to A Girl Unknown, the debut feature by Chinese filmmaker Zou Jing.
The movie premiered in the Critics Weeks section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Fipresci Prize and the Gan Foundation Award. This week, the Munich International Film Festival awarded it the CineVision competition prize for Best International Film by an Emerging Director.
Following a “tour” of North American fall film festivals, Greenwich plans a theatrical release in early 2027.
The synopsis reads: “Unfolding over 15 years during the peak of China’s strict One Child policy with its traumatic impact on young girls, A Girl Unknown is a poignant, naturalistic coming-of-age story that traces the displacement and resilience of an adopted young woman. The film follows her tumultuous journey as she lives across four distinct households and takes on three different names, exploring the deep existential anxieties of adoption.”
The film’s cast includes child actor Cao Ruofan and rising star Li Gengxi (Resurrection) and builds upon Zou’s 2021 award-winning short Lili Alone. A Girl Unknown originally won the Cannes Critics’ Week Next Step top project prize during its development phase. Both films were photographed by Zhongqiang Liang, husband of the director.
The deal was negotiated between Greenwich and Agathe Mauruc of Pyramide International on behalf of the filmmakers.
“A Girl Unknown is a film about erasure, survival, and the fragile miracle of becoming oneself. I’m deeply grateful to Greenwich Entertainment for bringing the girl’s journey to audiences in the U.S.,” said director Zou Jing.
“Like the best of recent Chinese cinema, intimate personal dramas echo vast societal changes as personal destiny is subtly shaped by larger forces. We’re very pleased Pyramide gave us the opportunity to present this exciting new cinematic female voice from China,” added Greenwich Entertainment.
The film is a Chinese-French co-production from Pure Light Films, Maneki Films, Memoria Films, Emei Film Group, and Eagle Media with Arte France Cinéma and produced by Wang Yang, Didar Domehri, Cao Xi.
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