Tribeca 2026: Ephemera Brings a Tender Queer Love Story to the Festival’s U.S. Competition

A chance encounter, a city in transition and a fleeting connection form the heart of Ephemera, the feature directorial debut from writer-director Shan Jiang, which is set to make its world premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Festival.

Selected for the festival’s U.S. Narrative Competition section, the film follows 23-year-old Asher, played by Yvonne Shuyu Zhang, during one of her final nights in Shanghai before returning to Los Angeles. What begins as a casual evening with her hip-hop dance instructor Tori, portrayed by Shu-Yi, gradually evolves into a deeper emotional connection as the two women wander through the city, sharing stories, laughter and moments of vulnerability.

The film embraces the familiar framework of a one-night romance while grounding the story in a distinctly contemporary Shanghai. For Jiang, the city was never simply a backdrop but an essential part of the narrative itself.

“Setting the story in Shanghai was a conscious choice from the very beginning. It had always been the most ‘open’ city in China as I was growing up—the most porous to the outside world,” Shan says in a statement.

The filmmaker explained that the project emerged during a period when the city was still processing the aftermath of the strict COVID-era lockdowns that shaped life in Shanghai in 2022.

“But by early 2024, when we were in development, Shanghai was also a city living in the long shadow of the 2022 lockdown. I wasn’t interested in making a film about that. I was interested in making a film that could only exist in a Shanghai that had come through it—where ephemerality wasn’t only what the lovers have in the romance. It was also in the air,” said Shan. 

An exclusive preview from the film captures Asher and Tori strolling through the city while discussing their hopes, fears and personal reflections before sharing a quiet, intimate embrace. The sequence offers a glimpse into the film’s focus on emotional intimacy and fleeting human connection.

While Ephemera centers on a queer romance, Jiang suggests the film is ultimately less concerned with delivering a specific message than with creating a lingering emotional experience.

“Some of the film will fade by the time the audience gets home. And some of it might linger—maybe in ways they can’t explain, maybe years later, maybe just for one afternoon. I’d rather not dictate which parts are which.”

The film will make its world premiere on June 7 as part of the Tribeca Festival’s U.S. Narrative Competition lineup, introducing Jiang’s feature filmmaking debut to international audiences and adding another contemporary voice to the growing landscape of global queer cinema.

Watch the exclusive clip here: 

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