M-Appeal Boards 'Zoom In, Zoom Out,' Jie Dong's Debut Feature Set to Close Venice Critics' Week

Berlin-based world sales company M-Appeal has boarded "Zoom In, Zoom Out," the feature directing debut of Chinese film-maker Jie Dong, ahead of its premiere in the Venice Critics' Week sidebar on 5 September 2026 (Variety).

World sales companies act as the bridge between a finished film and the international distributors who license it for individual territories. M-Appeal, founded and run by Maren Kroymann, handles precisely that role — shopping the film to buyers at festivals and markets.

The film screens at 19:30 in Sala Corinto as the closing title of the Venice International Critics' Week, an independent sidebar that runs parallel to the main Venice Film Festival competition. The Critics' Week selection, curated by Italy's film critics' union, focuses on debut and emerging directors (La Biennale di Venezia). "Zoom In, Zoom Out" completes the 2026 lineup, a slate described as weaving together mystery, online gaming and urban life (Deadline).

The story follows Shi, a young game designer who searches the city for his missing roommate Gao. The search leads him to Gao's girlfriend, YY, drawing him into a world where digital and physical realities blur (Cineuropa). Producer Shanshan Cao, whose company Do Something Films produced the film, said it captures "the changing living conditions and shifting spiritual outlook of contemporary Chinese youth" in a world reshaped by the digital realm (Variety).

Jie Dong is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy and a published author — his short story collection "The Gap of Migration" appeared during his college years. His editing credits include "Are You Lonesome Tonight?," which premiered at Cannes in 2021. "Zoom In, Zoom Out" is his first time in the director's chair for a feature.

Kroymann described the film as pairing a bold visual style with a compelling story, calling it "a must watch." For a sales agent, that kind of endorsement doubles as a pitch to the distributors who will decide how widely the film travels beyond the Lido.

Venice Critics' Week has functioned as a launchpad before. The sidebar's spotlight on first and second features means a strong reception there can set a film's trajectory on the festival circuit for months to come — from Toronto's industry screenings to the winter markets where territory-by-territory deals get done.

For Dong, the screening in Sala Corinto on 5 September is both a premiere and a first test: the moment a debut feature meets its first public audience.