Actress Zhou Xun tries on directing

Meet Zhou Xun the director. The award-winning actress has recently released the trailer for a short film that she directed.

The trailer of "Five Demon Traps" features actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai as a demon killer.

Leung co-stars with Zhou in Derek Yee's movie drama "The Great Magician", to be released on January 12.

Zhou explained to Sina.com.cn that her film was inspired by a scene in "The Great Magician".

The actress-turned-director however didn't elaborate on the storyline or the release information of her directorial debut.

With her critically acclaimed roles in such films as "Perhaps Love", "The Equation of Love and Death" and "The Message", Zhou has made herself one of the best-known Chinese actresses. She has been named best actress at the Asian Film Awards, the Golden Horse Awards, as well as the Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 2010, Zhou left her long-time agent company, Huayi Brothers, and founded her own film studio. But the actress says she has no plan to become a professional director at the moment.

As an actress, Zhou has been prolific this year having made three films. Besides "The Great Magician", she has starred alongside Jet Li in Tsui Hark's 3-D martial-arts film "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate", as well as the Felix Chong and Alan Mak directed spy film "Windseeker", also co-starring Tony Leung.