In China, a new industry has emerged devoted to helping couples stay married in the face of infidelity. Wang Zhenxi is part of this growing profession, a “mistress dispeller” who is hired to maintain the bonds of marriage — and break up affairs — by any means necessary. Offering strikingly intimate access to private dramas usually hidden behind closed doors, MISTRESS DISPELLER follows a real, unfolding case of infidelity as Teacher Wang attempts to bring a couple back from the edge of crisis. Their story shifts our sympathies between husband, wife and mistress to explore the ways emotion, pragmatism and cultural norms collide to shape romantic relationships in contemporary China.

About The Team

Elizabeth Lo is an Oscar-shortlisted and DGA-nominated director whose films have screened at Venice, TIFF, Sundance, IDFA, Tribeca, MoMA, and AFI Fest. Named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” and DOC NYC’s “40 Under 40,” she’s received fellowships from Locarno, NYFF, Yaddo, MacDowell, Concordia Studio, and the Gotham/HBO Documentary Initiative. Her debut documentary, STRAY, premiered at Tribeca, won Best International Feature at Hot Docs, earned Independent Spirit Award, Critics Choice, and Cinema Eye nominations, and was released by Magnolia and Hulu. Her second feature, MISTRESS DISPELLER, premiered at Venice and TIFF in 2024, was shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Awards, was nominated for a DGA award, and has won over 20 awards across 80+ festivals. It was released theatrically by Oscilloscope in 2025, and had its exclusive online premiere on the Criterion Channel in 2026. Her short films are held in academic collections worldwide. Born in Hong Kong, Elizabeth holds a BFA from NYU Tisch and an MFA from Stanford.