Chasing the Palm after Venice

Chinese actors are often rarely recognized at Europe's prestigious film festivals. Xin Zhilei, however, is already well on her way.

A Best Actress win at last year's Venice Film Festival for The Sun Rises on Us All, following an earlier appearance in Crosscurrent, selected for the main competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, has helped her establish a growing international presence.

Only one destination now remains: Cannes.

Speaking at a recent news conference for Festival Croisements, an annual showcase of French arts in China, Xin answered without hesitation when asked about her ambitions. She hopes to return to the global stage and bring Chinese cinema with her to the Cannes Film Festival.

Yet, even before arriving in France with a film, she has begun building a cultural bridge of her own. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Festival Croisements, and Xin has been named its ambassador.

Speaking of France, she reaches for two words: elegance and ease.

Last winter, she saw her own image on magazine covers lining the streets of Paris for the first time. It was a moment she describes as quietly transformative — one that left her feeling she had formed a personal connection with the country's romantic aura.

Her fascination with French culture began early. As a student, she was drawn to films like Amelie and The Intouchables. She has long admired French actress Isabelle Huppert, particularly for her morally complex and often unsettling roles, the kind of characters Xin herself hopes to explore one day.

"If given the opportunity, I would love to collaborate with French directors and actors. Perhaps I could play a Chinese woman living and working in France."

In reality, her career has already taken her to France on numerous occasions, from attending Paris Fashion Week to filming campaigns for high-end fashion brands. Her long-standing association with the French fashion house Chanel, in particular, has drawn widespread attention.

When she first appeared at the brand's fashion runway show in 2017, she was still largely known for supporting roles in film and television. Yet, audiences quickly noticed the sharp, almost defiant intensity in her gaze.

Her breakthrough came in 2020, when she was cast in Blossoms Shanghai, directed by Wong Karwai. Around the same time, she was named a Chanel brand ambassador in China. When the series aired three years later, her portrayal of a formidable businesswoman navigating Shanghai's commercial world in the early 1990s propelled her to wider fame.

It was her role in The Sun Rises on Us All that marked a true turning point. Centered on a woman from society's margins struggling with moral and emotional dilemmas, the film took her to Venice, where she became only the third Chinese actress to receive the festival's top acting honor.

Dressed in a white chiffon Chanel gown as she accepted the award, some commentators joked that the French fashion house had "won" as well, having backed a rising star early.

In her acceptance speech, she recalled how, more than a decade earlier, she had spoken openly about her ambition to stand on the world stage and become an international star. At the time, the idea was met with skepticism. "But you see," she said, "I'm finally here."

She grew up in Hegang, Heilongjiang province, a city in Northeast China once marked by economic hardship and population loss. Without formal training from a major acting academy, she carved out a path defined by quiet resilience and an unyielding drive forward.

"Winning an award may feel like a culmination, but it is also a new beginning. There is no finish line in life. You can always set new goals," she said at the Festival Croisements event.

Now 40, Xin is part of what is increasingly described in China as a flourishing moment for middle-aged actresses. Where opportunities once narrowed with age, she sees a shifting landscape.

"In the past, there were limits placed on actresses as they grew older. But now, with more experience, this can be a time to create many meaningful works," she adds.

If she does one day step onto the red carpet at Cannes, she hopes it will be with films that carry distinctly Chinese stories to a global audience.

Her role as an ambassador for Festival Croisements reflects a similar vision. She describes the event not only as a platform for artistic display, but also as a space for dialogue, where audiences can encounter different ways of life and artistic traditions.

Over two decades, the festival has grown into one of the largest French cultural events abroad and one of the most significant foreign arts festivals in China. This year's edition will feature more than 300 events across 44 cities, including performances by leading ensembles such as the Orchestre de Paris and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.

The 20th anniversary of the event is also likened to a "porcelain wedding anniversary", symbolizing something shaped and refined over time. As Bertrand Lortholary, the French ambassador to China, puts it, the festival has developed much like porcelain itself — "gradually formed through careful craftsmanship".

For Xin, the hope is that it continues to evolve, drawing in younger audiences and expanding their horizons.

"I want this exchange between Chinese and French art to continue, so that more young people, through this platform, can discover the diversity and richness of the world."