Van Pianist

Documentary Short
Year : 2024

Credit : Co-Composer

Director : Hetong Zhang
Editor : Hetong Zhang
Sound Designer : Nick Smyth
Co-Composer: Harpal Mudhar

In 2020, Wuhan resident Haitao Peng lost his father and newborn son. He took up piano and eventually played in the city’s streets, transporting it in his van. Mourning his losses, this private ritual gradually took on deeper meaning during China’s nearly three-year pandemic controls, which ended abruptly in late 2022. The film reflects on the rarely discussed closing chapter of China’s Zero-COVID policy and the fragile balance between public health and personal freedom.