“Children and Animals Have a Natural Intuition and Liveliness”: Xinying Lao on Her Student Short Film Showcase Winner Xiaohui and His Cows

Unlike the rest of her cohort, Xinying Lao has the distinction of being a Short Film Student Showcase winner as an underclassman. Made during her sophomore year at NYU, Xiaohui and His Cows sheds light on the widespread separation of families in rural China as parents migrate to cities for work, leaving their children behind with relatives. The film also bowed at the 2023 Berlinale in the festival’s Generation Kplus section, which is reserved for stories that explore children’s perspective. Certainly a shoo-in for the category, Lao’s short centers on the titular Xiaohui (Jinhao Wei), a nine-year-old boy living with […] The post “Children and Animals Have a Natural Intuition and Liveliness”: Xinying Lao on Her Student Short Film Showcase Winner Xiaohui and His Cows first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

May 7, 2025 - 16:19

“Children and Animals Have a Natural Intuition and Liveliness”: Xinying Lao on Her Student Short Film Showcase Winner Xiaohui and His Cows

A young Chinese boys wearing a blue windbreaker and tan pants rests atop a large brown dairy cow.

Unlike the rest of her cohort, Xinying Lao has the distinction of being a Short Film Student Showcase winner as an underclassman. Made during her sophomore year at NYU, Xiaohui and His Cows sheds light on the widespread separation of families in rural China as parents migrate to cities for work, leaving their children behind with relatives. The film also bowed at the 2023 Berlinale in the festival’s Generation Kplus section, which is reserved for stories that explore children’s perspective. Certainly a shoo-in for the category, Lao’s short centers on the titular Xiaohui (Jinhao Wei), a nine-year-old boy living with […] The post “Children and Animals Have a Natural Intuition and Liveliness”: Xinying Lao on Her Student Short Film Showcase Winner Xiaohui and His Cows first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.