Muggle – dir. Zoe Peng

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Muggle

Director’s Name: Zoe Peng

Writer’s Name: Lianjia Cheng, Wenxin Zhang

Producer: Xinxuan Zhou

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 8 minutes 24 seconds

Film Description:

The MV Muggle unfolds in a fictional “Truth Auction House,” depicting an absurd world shrouded in illusions and collective euphoria. The audience, like spellbound “Muggles,” frantically bid for so-called “rare truths.” At the auction, Angela encounters Mr. X, who encourages her to join the farce. She declares a newspaper to be an “invisibility cloak,” winning the crowd’s adoration. Later, Mr. X drunkenly jokes about “stealing the moon,” which is soon sensationalized by rumor-fueled masses. Branded the “Moon Thief,” he becomes a captive exhibit at the auction. Realizing she can no longer dance with these Muggles, Angela smashes the absurd artifacts in the Truth Auction House and rescues Mr. X. In the finale, the two stand before a floor-to-ceiling window, pressing a button that triggers the collapse of the distorted world outside.