From Dawn to Dawn
TITLE
From Dawn to Dawn
DIRECTOR
Xishi Sofia Ye Chen
COUNTRY
France, Spain
YEAR
2026
DURATION
94′
GENRE
Documentary
From Dawn to Dawn
A Wen, 38, a businessman and family man in Barcelona, is also the filmmaker’s brother. Just like in the gangster movies they watched on VHS as kids, he became involved in the gangs of the Chinese community in Spain in his youth. Without judgement or romanticisation, Xisi Sofia Ye Chen observes a man torn between criminal heritage, familial duty and a search for moral clarity, composing an intimate and powerful portrait.
DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY - Xishi Sofia Ye Chen
Daughter of Chinese immigrants who settled in post-Olympic Barcelona, Xisi Sofia Ye Chen (b. Barcelona, 1994) grew up between Qingtianese, Mandarin, Catalan, and Spanish. She holds a degree in Humanities and a Master's in Creative Documentary from Pompeu Fabra University. Her cinematic work emerges from cultural hybridity and the exploration of identities shaped by migration. In 2026, she premieres her first feature film, FROM DAWN TO DAWN (Márgenes Work Award, Lau Haizetara Forum Award, Zinebi Networking, D'A Final Cut), a documentary about her brother in which a gangster past and a spiritual quest coexist within the context of the uprootedness of the Chinese community in Spain.
- DirectorXishi Sofia Ye Chen
- ScreenplayXisi Sofia Ye Chen
- Cinematography Pablo Paloma
- Cast
- EditingJuliana Montañés
- Producer/s Ricard Sales, Pedro Palacios, Luis Ferrón, Marta LaCima, Leonor Abreu, Ran Shao, Camila Montaldo, Marina Perales Marhuenda, Xavier Rocher
- Production Company
- Distributor/sParallax Films Sales Agent Worldwide All Rights
- Project TitleFrom Dawn to Dawn
- Project Type Documentary
- Completion Date18 Apr 2026
- Country of originFrance, Spain
- Country of filming France, Spain
- LanguageChinese, Spanish
- First-time Filmmaker Yes
- Student ProjectNo
Xishi Sofia Ye Chen
Daughter of Chinese immigrants who settled in post-Olympic Barcelona, Xisi Sofia Ye Chen (b. Barcelona, 1994) grew up between Qingtianese, Mandarin, Catalan, and Spanish. She holds a degree in Humanities and a Master's in Creative Documentary from Pompeu Fabra University. Her cinematic work emerges from cultural hybridity and the exploration of identities shaped by migration. In 2026, she premieres her first feature film, FROM DAWN TO DAWN (Márgenes Work Award, Lau Haizetara Forum Award, Zinebi Networking, D'A Final Cut), a documentary about her brother in which a gangster past and a spiritual quest coexist within the context of the uprootedness of the Chinese community in Spain.
Visions du Réel Nyon April 18, 2026 World Premiere Grand Jury Prize Switzerland
