Viv, a Chinese artist wannabe, got stuck in Berlin after the pandemic and accidentally entered into the vibrant alternative culture scene. To someone who was raised to follow “the standard”, everything seems so exciting. But to her family in China, the most alarming question surfaces: “why is she such an oddball?” Drifting between new environments and traditional expectations, Viv is constantly adapting to shifting opinions
about herself, the world, and of course, China, only to feel more lost than ever. Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest follows Viv’s eclectic encounters and the nuanced clashes that shape them. Told through a deeply personal and humorous voice, the film takes a witty yet sharp look at the sense of belonging in a globalised world, and how different societies define our lives. A story of the perpetual search for oneself, for identity, for acceptance, woven into a spiral of surreal yet tangible moments.

Cast & Crew
Producers: Daniela Dieterich, Erik Winker, Martin Roelly, Ümit Uludağ
Director: Viv Li
Script: Viv Li
Director of Photography: Viv Li, Janis Mazuch
Sound: Marcel Walvisch
Editing: Christoph Bargfrede
Production: Corso Film

Viv Li
Viv Li is a Chinese filmmaker and artist based in Berlin. Born and raised in Beijing, she has spent 15 years across Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. She holds a MA from DocNomads and a BA from the University of Manchester. An alumna of Sundance Institute and Berlinale Talents, her film Across the Waters was nominated for the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2024 and won the Lights On Women’s Worth Award. Her work has also competed at the Venice FF and won awards at IDFA. She is currently developing her first narrative feature Sun Haze.

Filmography
I Don’t Feel at Home Anywhere Anymore (doc., 2020), Across the Waters (short, 2024), A Soil, a Culture, a River, a People (short, 2025), Two Mountains Weighting Down My Chest (doc., 2026)․