Wayne Wang returns with 'Diary of a Mad Old Man' for Toronto and Busan
Wayne Wang has returned to feature films after seven years with 'Diary of a Mad Old Man', a Tokyo-set drama starring Lily Franky and Fan Bingbing. Variety published its review on 13 September 2026 and identifies the picture as Wang's first feature since 2019.
The film is based on Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's 1961 novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Kelvin Wyles, according to Variety. It centres on 69-year-old Utsugi, a retired man whose body is failing after a stroke. His desire survives the near-fatal episode. That tension drives the family story.
Franky plays Utsugi. Fan Bingbing plays Satsuko, his daughter-in-law. The action is set in Tokyo, Screen Daily reported ahead of the premiere.
Toronto programmed the film in a sidebar strand, a section that sits outside the festival's main competition, The Hollywood Reporter reported in July. It then debuted there in September. Short and direct. The Hollywood Reporter also published an exclusive clip to mark the Toronto launch and described Utsugi as a 69-year-old whose body is failing.
Fan was honoured in Toronto alongside the debut. She receives a Special Tribute Award, a career honour presented by the festival, as 'Diary of a Mad Old Man' screens there, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
On the business side, Rediance boarded the film ahead of Toronto. That means the Beijing company joined to handle international sales, the trade in which a sales agent sells distribution rights country by country, Screen Daily reported. From Toronto, the film moves into contention elsewhere. It was named among the competition titles at Busan, Variety reported on 1 September.
For audiences following the run, this means two checkpoints. Toronto is where the film first met press and public. Busan is where it lines up for prizes against other Asian cinema titles.
