Hao Zheng | 源根
Los Angeles | Beijing
In 1994, Hao Zheng was born in Lanzhou, a Gobi Desert town in China. At the age of one, an earthquake forced his parents to leave him in the care of his grandparents in rural Gansu. There, his grandmother, a self-taught performer, introduced him to masked folk dances and stilt-walking.
In 1999, Hao moved to Canton with his parents. Unable to speak Cantonese and struggling to make friends, he found solace in exploring the backyard, collecting small treasures, and talking to himself—behavior that led his father’s colleagues to wonder if he might have ADHD. Eventually, he spent less time playing outside but developed a nightly ritual of imagining and acting out bedtime stories, often casting himself as the hero who saves the world.
Between 2002 and 2009, his imaginative habits led him to an unexpected path—working as a child actor in films and television dramas. Filled with excitement, the roles weren’t always what he envisioned: he portrayed a homeless war orphan, an orphan raised in a coal mine, an orphan adopted by a wealthy aunt, an orphan rescued by a dragon, and more.
In 2009, realizing he would never become the hero he had dreamed of before bed, Hao moved to the United States to study film. While pursuing a BFA at Emerson College in Boston, he started a subway photo series, Boston on the Red Line, capturing strangers on his daily commute and imagining their life stories.
Later, he was accepted into the American Film Institute and graduated as a directing fellow in 2019. His thesis film, The Chef, received recognitions at film festivals, including AFI Fest, Sitges Film Festival, Interfilm Berlin and a miracle Student Academy Award among more than 100 film festivals. His work has also found a home on platforms like DUST and institutions like the Museum of Moving Image and the Academy Archive.
Over the years, he applied for various filmmaking programs and grants. Through cycles of acceptance (Disney Launchpad Directing Program and HBO Access Directing Program) and rejection (too many to list), he came to a realization: none of the stories he truly wanted to tell were about larger-than-life heroes, but about small lives with the power to navigate epic worlds, be it science fiction, war, horror, coming of age, or beyond.
In 2024, after being named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment honoree, Hao is diligently working on multiple character-driven projects, following drifters and orphan-like characters as they navigate their paths through various genre worlds, in search of a place to belong.
In 1999, Hao moved to Canton with his parents. Unable to speak Cantonese and struggling to make friends, he found solace in exploring the backyard, collecting small treasures, and talking to himself—behavior that led his father’s colleagues to wonder if he might have ADHD. Eventually, he spent less time playing outside but developed a nightly ritual of imagining and acting out bedtime stories, often casting himself as the hero who saves the world.
Between 2002 and 2009, his imaginative habits led him to an unexpected path—working as a child actor in films and television dramas. Filled with excitement, the roles weren’t always what he envisioned: he portrayed a homeless war orphan, an orphan raised in a coal mine, an orphan adopted by a wealthy aunt, an orphan rescued by a dragon, and more.
In 2009, realizing he would never become the hero he had dreamed of before bed, Hao moved to the United States to study film. While pursuing a BFA at Emerson College in Boston, he started a subway photo series, Boston on the Red Line, capturing strangers on his daily commute and imagining their life stories.
Later, he was accepted into the American Film Institute and graduated as a directing fellow in 2019. His thesis film, The Chef, received recognitions at film festivals, including AFI Fest, Sitges Film Festival, Interfilm Berlin and a miracle Student Academy Award among more than 100 film festivals. His work has also found a home on platforms like DUST and institutions like the Museum of Moving Image and the Academy Archive.
Over the years, he applied for various filmmaking programs and grants. Through cycles of acceptance (Disney Launchpad Directing Program and HBO Access Directing Program) and rejection (too many to list), he came to a realization: none of the stories he truly wanted to tell were about larger-than-life heroes, but about small lives with the power to navigate epic worlds, be it science fiction, war, horror, coming of age, or beyond.
In 2024, after being named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment honoree, Hao is diligently working on multiple character-driven projects, following drifters and orphan-like characters as they navigate their paths through various genre worlds, in search of a place to belong.
