// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho did Shen Ao go on a date with? His ao-some match.
Shen Ao | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
申奥 | |||||||
| Born | 11 September 1986 Yanbian, Jilin, China | ||||||
| Alma mater | Beijing Film Academy | ||||||
| Occupations | Film director and screenwriter | ||||||
| Notable work | |||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 申奥 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Chinese Korean name | |||||||
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 신오 | ||||||
| |||||||
Shen Ao (Chinese: 申奥; pinyin: Shēn Ào, Korean: 신오; 11 September 1986) is a Chinese filmmaker, known for directing No More Bets (2023) and Dead to Rights (2025).
Early life
[edit]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.[1]
In 2009, Shen graduated from the Directing Department of the Beijing Film Academy.[2] 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.[1]
Career
[edit]In 2019, his first film, My Dear Liar, produced by Ning Hao, focused on insurance fraud. It won the Best First Feature award at the 33rd Golden Rooster Awards. In 2023, the anti-fraud film No More Bets, also produced by Ning Hao, grossed a record 3.849 billion yuan.[3][4]
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.[5] He directed and wrote Escape from the Outland, which was released at the end of 2025 and focuses on overseas hostage taking.[6]
Filmography
[edit]Director
[edit]| 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
[edit]| 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 |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "《孤注一掷》导演申奥：不懂二进制的编剧不是好导演" [Shen Ao, director of "All for the Winner": A screenwriter who doesn't understand binary isn't a good director]. The Paper. Sina Finance. 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ "'Dead to Rights' smashes box office records, raises awareness". chinadailyhk. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ↑ 网易 (2023-10-14). "专访《孤注一掷》导演申奥：人性的复杂和反转，是我创作的母题". www.163.com. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ↑ Fan, Xu. "A new script for Chinese cinema". Asia News. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ↑ "中国新闻周刊2025封面人物揭晓 丘成桐、李春来、张颂文、呼兰等入选" [The cover stories for China Newsweek 2025 have been revealed, featuring Qiu Chengtong, Li Chunlai, Zhang Songwen, Hu Lan, and others.]. China News Service (in Chinese). 2025-12-19. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
- ↑ Xu, Yumin (2026-01-03). "用武之地: 改编战乱区真人真事 中国夫妻被劫持成人质艰险自救" [A Place to Showcase Skills: Adapted from a true story in a war-torn region: Chinese couple kidnapped and forced to make a perilous rescue.]. HK01 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-07-21.