Ao Shen

Shen Ao (, Korean: 신오; 11 September 1986) is a Chinese filmmaker, known for directing No More Bets and Dead to Rights (2025).

Early life Of Korean ethnicity, Shen was born on 11 September 1986 in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, in Jilin, China. During his childhood, he moved with his parents to Beijing, where he was raised. His mother worked at the Institute of Mathematics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and through her, Shen was exposed to many mathematicians from an early age. He also studied Olympiad mathematics as a child. In the 1990s, his father worked in advertising for a period, introducing Shen to the film and television advertising industry.

In 2009, Shen graduated from the Directing Department of the Beijing Film Academy. His graduation project was the short film The Opposite Shore (2009). After graduation, he worked as a commercial director for nearly a decade. During this period, he met director Ning Hao on the set of a television commercial, where Shen was serving as the commercial's executive director. In 2016, when Ning's Dirty Monkey Pictures launched the "72 Transformations Film Project" to support emerging filmmakers, Shen became one of the new directors signed under the initiative.

In 2025, he directed and wrote the film Dead to Rights, which was based on the Nanjing Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was released during the summer of 2025 and received positive reviews, and grossed 3.017 billion yuan in box office. Shen was selected as the cover figure of 2025 China Newsweek. He directed and wrote Escape from the Outland, which was released at the end of 2025 and focuses on overseas hostage taking.

Filmography Director Year English title Chinese title Notes 2009 The Opposite Shore 河龙川岗 2019 My Dear Liar 受益人 2023 No More Bets 孤注一掷 2024 Regeneration 新生TV series 2025 Dead to Rights 南京照相馆 Escape from the Outland用武之地

Awards Year Title Awards 2020 My Dear Liar Golden Rooster Award for Best Directorial Debut Golden Deer Award for Best Directorial Debut 2023 No More Bets Golden Angel Award for Top Ten Golden Angel Films China Film Association Cup for Top Ten Film Scripts 2024 Golden Rooster Award for Best Editing 2024 Regeneration Chinese American Film Festival for Best Web Series Chinese American Film Festival for Outstanding Young Director 2025 Dead to Rights Golden Deer Award for Best Picture Golden Deer Award for Best Director Golden Deer Award for Best Screenplay China Newsweek Cover Person — Director of Influence