WHAT IF
What If《如果》
2023 | 18 minutes | Fiction | Short
After knowing that a recurrent gynecological disease she has might deprive her of fertility, YILIN, a young Chinese woman confronts a sore point between her and her mother during a special visit back home.
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19th HollyShorts Film Festival (Academy Award Qualifying) Official Selection
52nd Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca (Academy Award, GOYA Qualifying) Official Selection
Directors Notes (British Independent Film Award Qualifying) Official Selection
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Academy Award Qualifying) Shortlisted
Festival Internacional de Cine y Multimedia Best Short Film, Award Winner
Spello International Film Festival Best Short Film, Award Winner
Mokkho International Film Festival Best Female Director, Special Jury Award
Mokkho International Film Festival Best Short Film on Women, Award Winner
Paradise Film Festival Best Drama, Award Winner
Short Shot Film Festival Official Selection
IEW International Film Festival Official Selection
Rome Prisma Film Awards Nominee
Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (Academy Award, BAFTA Qualifying) Semi-Finalist
Big Fridge International Film Festival Semi-Finalist
Reviews
Directors Notes: Yanghuixiao Gao’s ‘What If’ Delicately Explores Notions of Motherhood From an Intergenerational Vantage
Ziz News: Yanghuixiao Gao’s ‘What If’: A Poignant Tale of Motherhood and Loss
MovieFestUK: The richness of layers and emotional complexity weaves a captivating story that resonates beyond its 18-minute runtime.