Kogonada, the acclaimed director behind Columbus and After Yang, took a big swing with the star-studded romance-fantasy, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. It failed spectacularly, and so the filmmaker went back to something smaller and more personal. Zi, which Kogonada quietly shot guerrilla-style in Hong Kong over a couple of weeks, debuted earlier this year at Sundance, where I had to make a “Sophie’s Choice” between seeing this or Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. I chose the latter. I feel like I would’ve won either way.
Written, directed, produced, and edited by Kogonada, Zi stars Bridgerton‘s Michelle Mao as a Hong Kong woman experiencing visions of her future self. One night, she meets a stranger who could change the course of her life. That stranger is played by Haley Lu Richardson, who Kogonada has worked with twice before. Also in the cast is Devs actor Jin Ha.
Zi will make its New York premiere tomorrow as part of Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look 2026 program. It does not have a confirmed theatrical release date. Watch the new trailer now courtesy of The Film Stage.
