Pingyao Festival Unveils 10th Edition Lineup
Pingyao International Film Festival has locked its programme for its 10th edition, with a restored 1940s classic to open and a new Hong Kong dramedy to close.
The festival will run Sept. 24-30 in Pingyao, in Shanxi province, according to Variety. It was founded by director Jia Zhangke and has become a key autumn stop for Chinese and international arthouse titles.
The opener is a 4K restoration of Fei Mu's "Spring in a Small Town" from 1948. The black-and-white drama follows a married couple in a ruined post-war household. A 4K restoration means the original film elements have been scanned and cleaned frame by frame for modern cinema projection.
The closer is "Good Trip," a Hong Kong dramedy directed by Norris Wong Yee Lam and Hoi Wong. It will have its mainland China premiere in Pingyao, Variety reported.
Jia will also present his own new short, "Torino Shadow." The Italy-China co-production will screen as an Asian premiere as part of a Fenjiu Night presentation.
Beyond the bookends, the festival keeps its focus on new talent. Its Crouching Tigers section is reserved for emerging directors showing a debut, second or third feature, as previously outlined by Variety. The two main competitions will be judged by juries led by Hong Kong director Ann Hui and former Berlin artistic director Carlo Chatrian, heading the Fei Mu and Rossellini juries respectively, according to Yahoo.
Last year's top Fei Mu Award for Best Film went to "Deep Quiet Room," Deadline reported. That history gives this year's winners a clear launchpad.
What makes this stand out is the range. One night looks back nearly 80 years. The next looks forward to first-time film-makers. For audiences, that is the Pingyao mix in one week.
