CORPSE FISHING has qualified to be considered for the 2025 Oscars, it is directed by Jean Liu.

British Chinese filmmaker Jean Liu’s evocative short COPRSE FISHING follows twenty-year-old Yan (Harmonie He) who strikes a deal with a stranger named Old Bo (Jizhong Zhang) to go fishing for bodies in a desperate attempt to find her missing father.

This brilliant drama was inspired by the real-life story of ‘body fishermen’ who sail the Yellow River searching for dead bodies which they then sell back to grieving families. It’s a disturbingly necessary and lucrative business that has been running for decades.

Liu, who wrote and directed the film, handles the story with the utmost delicacy, painting a vivid but empathetic picture of this morbid trade. Despite its undeniably dark premise the script allows for moments of levity, especially surrounding the mismatched nature of Yan and Old Bo’s partnership. The two leads are captivating in their respective roles, especially Harmonie He who gives Yan a layer of fragility behind her steely exterior.

The drama is beautifully shot by Pip White who deservedly picked up the “Best Cinematography” Award at the HollyShorts Film Festival back in August.

CORPSE FISHING presents a poignant exploration of grief and longing in a marginalized community. It’s a provocative and daring story that tackles its subject with intelligence and sensitivity and is sure to provoke debate among its viewers.