Filmmaker Jia Zhangke announced plans to begin production work on his upcoming road movie ‘Mamma Dunhuang’ after the 10th Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival concludes on September 30. The film will follow a female protagonist who drives from Dunhuang, a city in western China near Central Asia, eastward to reach the ocean. Production is scheduled for early winter.
Actor Zhao Tao, who previously appeared in Jia’s work and won the David di Donatello Award for best actress, will star in the lead role. The character she plays is described as a homebound woman whose journey incorporates artificial intelligence as a narrative element. Jia emphasized that despite AI appearing in the film’s story, he will not employ the technology during the actual production process.
Jia, who founded the Pingyao festival, reflected on its decade-long history and the significant transformations in cinema and media during that period. He described the festival’s approach as remaining adaptable to industry shifts and emerging technologies. The 10th edition features 51 films in its official program, a deliberately curated selection designed to direct audience attention toward individual titles and support their market reach.
Regarding the festival’s expansion, Jia noted that capacity constraints stem from Dunhuang’s UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, which limits development possibilities. The festival received over 70 million visits through its online ticketing system this year. While the Pingyao festival has previously hosted AI-related exhibitions and projects, none of this year’s official selections were created using artificial intelligence.
Separately, Jia’s art-house distribution company Unknown Pleasures announced negotiations to acquire films from recent festival selections, including titles from Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev and French cinematographer Marine Atlan’s directorial debut.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI