AI Filmmakers Liu Ziyu and Meng Ke Gain Recognition in China
Chinese creators Liu Ziyu and Meng Ke gained industry attention in 2026 with AI-assisted films produced outside traditional studio pipelines. 36Kr reported that Liu's Zombie Scavenger passed 100 million views across platforms, while an official Communication University of China account says Mold won Best Director and Best Technical Breakthrough in the Beijing International Film Festival's AIGC feature-film group. The results show wider access, not proof that tools alone drove success.
A July 16 feature from 36Kr profiled two young Chinese creators who used generative-AI production workflows to reach audiences and formal industry recognition outside a conventional film-school path.
Liu Ziyu, a vocational-school graduate who had worked in real estate, released the AI-assisted short Zombie Scavenger in May. 36Kr reported that the film exceeded 100 million views across platforms and led to an overseas job offer from a Hollywood producer. The publication also reported that Liu was named a Douyin Rising Star Future Director at Douyin Movie Night the following month. Those audience and offer claims come from 36Kr's reporting; LDS did not independently verify platform-level view totals or the private offer.
An official record for Mold's awards
36Kr also profiled Meng Ke, born in 2004, who made the Korean-language suspense feature Mold with an AI workflow and no formal film training. Meng told the publication that AI gave him access to a festival stage he otherwise might never have reached.
Communication University of China, which co-hosted the Beijing International Film Festival's AIGC Film Unit, provides the authoritative award record. Its June 26 account says Mold won Best Director and Best Technical Breakthrough in the feature-film group. That is more precise than describing the honor as a generic "Best AIGC Director" award. The organizer's account does not identify Meng by name; the link between Meng and the film comes from 36Kr's reporting.
Access is not the same as automatic success
The two cases support a narrower conclusion than saying AI alone created their success. Generative tools can reduce the crew size, equipment needs, and iteration cost required to produce screen work, but distribution, story structure, editing, visual continuity, promotion, and audience response still matter.
Channel NewsAsia documented the broader shift on July 5. Citing an April report from the China Netcasting Services Association, it said more than 95% of new Chinese microdramas released in the first quarter of 2026 were fully AI-generated. CNA stressed that this figure referred to productions made without cameras or live actors, not conventional productions that merely used AI as one tool, and it also reported continuing concerns about quality, jobs, and compute costs.
For teams building creative-AI products, the practical signal is a widening creator base rather than a settled production formula. Easier generation increases access and output, but it also makes direction, consistency, provenance, and distribution more important differentiators.
Key Points
- 136Kr reported that Liu Ziyu's AI-assisted Zombie Scavenger exceeded 100 million views across platforms and brought him industry attention outside a conventional film-school route.
- 2Communication University of China's official record says Mold won Best Director and Best Technical Breakthrough in the Beijing International Film Festival AIGC feature-film group.
- 3The cases show that generative tools can lower production barriers, but they do not establish that AI alone drove audience reach or festival success.
Scoring Rationale
The story documents two specific creator outcomes and adds an organizer-verified award record. It is useful evidence of generative AI lowering production barriers, while the article clearly separates reported reach and career claims from facts independently confirmed by the festival organizer.
Sources
Primary source and supporting public references used for this report.
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