Zhang Shanshan [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhang Shanshan is an award-winning Chinese independent filmmaker. In 2020, Paradise Program won numerous awards including Best Sci-Fi Short Film / Female Director Honorable Mention / Best Lead Actor / Best Art Direction / Editing Honorable Mention / Best Production at the South Film and Arts Academy Festival. The short has also won the Best Short Film and Best LGBTQ Film at Platonic Film Competition.

Paradise Program premiered on the east coast of the United States on April 20, 2019, at the Parkway Theatre in Baltimore. After being officially selected by the Golden State Film Festival, the movie premiered on the west coast of the United States on February 25, 2020, at the TCL Chinese Theatre. The short film has been officially selected by the CinemadaMare International Film Festival, one of the world's most respected events among the emerging filmmakers, with its European premiere on July 18, 2020, in Rome. Zhang now lives in New York.