Kong Sheng wins Best Asian Director 2026

Kong Sheng accepted the Best Asian Director of the Year award for “Gezhi Town” at the Asian Art Film Festival 2026, according to clips circulated on X and film records for the movie. In the speech, Kong thanked the festival committee, writer Lan Xiaolong and the cast, naming Xiao Zhan among them. He also made a light joke to the audience, saying the applause was “for Xiao Zhan.” The moment spread through fan-posted video clips on Thursday. ### Which film won Kong Sheng the award? “Gezhi Town” is a 2025 Chinese war drama directed by Kong Sheng and written by Lan Xiaolong. The film stars Xiao Zhan, Peng Yuchang and Zhou Yiran, with Yang Xinming, Alan Aruna, Gan Yunchen, Zhou Siyu and Yin Zheng also in the cast. The film was released in China on December 6, 2025, and later opened in Australia and New Zealand on December 18 and in the United States and Canada on December 25, according to film reference pages. Baidu’s film entry says the theatrical run was later extended to March 5, 2026. ### What did Kong Sheng say in the acceptance speech? Kong Sheng used the speech to thank the award committee and the creative team behind “Gezhi Town,” according to the clips described in the source briefing. (baike.baidu.com) The remarks included thanks to writer Lan Xiaolong and cast members, with Xiao Zhan singled out by name in the circulated excerpts. The line that traveled fastest online was Kong’s joke that the applause was “for Xiao Zhan,” a remark that drew audience reaction in the shared clips cited in the briefing. (baike.baidu.com) The available web verification confirms the film’s director, writer and lead cast, which match the people named in the speech excerpts. ### How does “Gezhi Town” fit into Kong Sheng’s recent run? (baike.baidu.com) March 2026 brought “Gezhi Town” multiple award nominations, including a Best Director nomination in the main competition section of the 2026 Asian Art Film Festival Golden Swallow Award, according to Baidu’s film entry. That provides one published reference linking the movie to the same festival cycle in which Kong was shown accepting the directing prize. (baike.baidu.com) As of January 17, 2026, the film had passed 400 million yuan at the box office, the same entry says. Wikipedia’s film page lists box office at about 412 million yuan and describes the project as Daylight Entertainment’s first venture into film. ### Why was Xiao Zhan part of the reaction online? Xiao Zhan is the lead actor in “Gezhi Town,” playing Mo Dexian, a machinist who becomes part of the town’s wartime defense. (baike.baidu.com) His name appears prominently in the cast listings and in promotional coverage around the film’s release. Two X accounts named in the source briefing — KTZZXZGG and Xiao_Zhan_World — posted clips of Kong’s speech. (baike.baidu.com) I could not independently read engagement metrics directly from X through the available tool, but the briefing says the posts drew likes and circulated on Thursday. ### What can be verified, and what remains limited? The verifiable record shows that “Gezhi Town” is a 2025 film directed by Kong Sheng, written by Lan Xiaolong and led by Xiao Zhan, Peng Yuchang and Zhou Yiran. (en.wikipedia.org) It also shows the movie was tied to the 2026 Asian Art Film Festival awards cycle through published nomination references. The speech itself is documented in the source briefing through X clips rather than a festival transcript or full official winners page available through the search results reviewed here. (baike.baidu.com) The next firm reference point is any official Asian Art Film Festival winners listing or a fuller festival release naming Kong Sheng, “Gezhi Town,” and the Golden Swallow award results.