Chinese Young Filmmaker Goes Global: Creates Short Film with AI for Just 15,000 Baht, Attracts Hollywood Director Job Offer
A 29-year-old Chinese filmmaker created a viral AI-generated sci-fi short film on a 15,000-baht budget in 10 days, attracting a Hollywood director's collaboration offer after the work garnered 60 million views worldwide.
On May 27, the online world was abuzz when a 29-year-old Chinese filmmaker created an AI-generated short film with a budget of merely 15,000 baht over just 10 days. The work went viral globally, prompting acclaimed Hollywood director PJ Accetturo to publicly search for him and offer a collaboration.
Liu Zuowei's work titled "Zombie Scavenger" was released on Chinese social media on May 9. The 3.5-minute sci-fi short film in the steampunk genre tells a love story between a robot and a fashion model, inspired by the famous animated film WALL-E. Just one day after release, the director shared the work and praised it as "one of the best short films in years," causing the view count to skyrocket past 60 million worldwide.
Despite the international attention, Liu revealed he has no plans to relocate to the United States, viewing the Hollywood team more as international friends. He disclosed that he has no formal background in IT or art, but studied mechanical engineering and worked as a train driver for three years before transitioning to wedding photography.
Earlier this year, he began learning AI video creation after his family asked him to help promote their hotel online. He shared an important tip: when writing AI instructions, one must clearly explain "movement + motivation + emotion" rather than simply directing poses.
He affirmed his commitment to continuing skill development, saying he doesn't want to get swept away by short-term success and hopes his next work will receive similar audience appreciation.
