22nd Chinese American Film Festival Announces Eric HZ as Golden Angel Awards Performer

The Chinese-language singer-songwriter will give the first live performance of his original song “Encounter” at the November 10 ceremony in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The 22nd Chinese American Film Festival and Chinese American Television Festival will open in Los Angeles on November 10, 2026. Under this year’s theme, “A Bridge of Screens, A World of Dreams,” the festivals will continue to promote cultural exchange and collaboration between the film and television industries of China and the United States.

Chinese-language singer-songwriter and music producer Eric HZ (Hechen Zhao) has been invited to return as a performer at the Golden Angel Awards ceremony following his appearance in 2025. This year, he will give the first live performance of his original song Encounter (《遇见》).

The festivals will also feature singer-songwriter Panda Hsiung (Xiong Tianping), Panda known among Chinese-speaking audiences as the “Prince of Love Songs,” and singer-songwriter Marina Yang Yang. Panda is recognized for songs including Matchstick Paradise (《火柴天堂》) and Love Danube (《爱情多瑙河》), while Marina Yang Yang continues to pursue her work in songwriting and live performance.

Although cinema and music tell stories through different artistic forms, both preserve cultural memory and evoke emotional connections. Their convergence at the festivals offers another dimension to cross-cultural dialogue and creative expression.

In 2025, Eric HZ performed his original Chinese-language song Child (《孩子》) at the Golden Angel Awards ceremony during the 21st Chinese American Film Festival and Chinese American Television Festival. He was also presented with the Outstanding Contribution to International Arts and Culture Award.

Child is a gentle reflection on the human experience, dedicated to everyone who has stumbled along life’s journey and found themselves embraced by love. Through its exploration of unconditional love, the song leaves room for listeners from different cultural backgrounds to discover their own meanings and emotional connections.

In 2026, the Recording Academy introduced Best Asian Pop Music Performance as a new category for the 69th GRAMMY Awards. Child was submitted for consideration in the category and subsequently received attention in coverage of the GRAMMY submission field. Forbes music contributor Jeff Benjamin also featured Eric HZ and his work in his reporting on the category.

In September of the same year, Eric HZ was invited to participate in the Recording Academy’s A Conversation with Leaders in Asian Music, joining industry discussions on Asian music’s cultural identity, artistic evaluation, and international development.

For Eric HZ, the Chinese language is more than a medium for singing; it is an essential vessel for cultural memory and emotional expression.

“Asian Pop should be a door, not a wall,” he has said.

Reflecting on his artistic philosophy, he further explained:

“I have always believed that true internationalism does not mean setting aside one’s own culture to fit into the world. It means bringing one’s culture into the world.”

This conviction helps explain his commitment to creating music in Chinese while seeking meaningful emotional connections with audiences across cultural and linguistic boundaries.

With a background in music studies at Berklee College of Music, Eric HZ has also studied under Wan Shanhong, a renowned Chinese soprano. His artistic work spans singing, songwriting, music production, hosting, and live performance.

He has performed his original song You Are So Wonderful (《你那么好》) on Hainan Television’s Spring Festival Gala. In March 2026, he served as both host and guest performer at Chinese vocalist Tan Jing’s concert, A Musical Journey: Jinghua, held at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.

That same year, he shared the stage with artists including Sha Baoliang, Chen Yimiao, and Song Yuzhe at the launch ceremony of the Chinese American Music Festival. He has also received congressional recognition for his contributions to music and cultural exchange between China and the United States.

From Chinese television to Lincoln Center in New York and the stage of the Chinese American Film Festival, these experiences reflect his continuing exploration of how Chinese-language music can communicate across cultures.

At this year’s Golden Angel Awards ceremony, Eric HZ will introduce Encounter, a song that continues his exploration of love and the human experience while taking a different narrative perspective.

If Child reflects the moments when love sustains us through the uncertainties of growing and becoming, Encounter is a song about love, searching, and finding a place to belong.

In a world of countless encounters and inevitable storms, what people spend their lives searching for may not be a path free from hardship, but a love that remains even after seeing their imperfections. Through such an encounter, those who have lost their way may find light, and those who have wandered may finally find a place to call home.

Beyond the awards ceremonies and artistic performances, this year’s festivals will continue to advance film industry collaboration and the development of emerging talent.

A film project development initiative jointly supported by the Chinese American Film Festival Organizing Committee, Shanghai Film Group, and Legendary Entertainment has entered its fourth year. The initiative seeks to identify and support emerging filmmakers with artistic promise and an international outlook, providing opportunities for professional evaluation, industry dialogue, and potential collaboration.

Over the years, the Chinese American Film Festival has maintained various forms of exchange with major U.S. entertainment companies, including Disney, Sony, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, and Legendary Entertainment, as well as Chinese film institutions such as China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group.

These initiatives have helped extend the festivals’ role beyond film screenings to encompass talent development and connections between creative projects and the wider industry.

Eric HZ’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of musicians is also reflected in his creative collaborations.

The recording of Encounter features backing vocals by six young Chinese American singers from the Dallas Contemporary Music Academy (DCMA): Thomas Wu, Mia Zhang, Derek Li, Isabella Ruoxi Hu, Bella Grace Xie, and Sharon Zheng.

Their voices bring a sense of brightness and subtle emotional depth to the recording, allowing these young musicians to contribute to the creative process not only as students of music, but also as collaborators in the work itself.

Established in 2004, the Chinese American Film Festival and Chinese American Television Festival have witnessed more than two decades of cultural exchange and collaboration between the film and television communities of China and the United States.

From stories told on screen to songs performed on stage, different art forms continue to explore a shared question: How can stories rooted in distinct cultural experiences be heard, seen, and understood by wider audiences?

For Eric HZ, returning to this stage represents another chapter in that exploration. From Child to Encounter, the narrative perspective may change, but the underlying themes remain: loving and being loved, understanding, and mutual respect.

By telling authentic human stories in his own language, he continues to create space for listeners from different cultural backgrounds to find understanding through music.

christian jin
Chinese-American Federation of Arts and Culture
festival@cafacofficial.org

Eric HZ – 【还好遇见你 / Encounter】

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Written By: EIN Presswire