Tokyo Competition Picks Up Wang Jiangyong's Debut, a Dorm Drama Built on a Short Story
The Night That Binds Us, the first feature from Chinese director Wang Jiangyong, has had its world premiere in the competition section of the Tokyo International Film Festival. The festival's listing scheduled screenings for October 30, November 2 and November 3, according to the Tokyo festival's lineup page.
The film follows a college student and an older dormitory manager. It is based on a short story of the same name by Zhang Chu, a winner of the Lu Xun Literary Prize, as Variety reported on November 3.
The story centres on two people who are each carrying a loss. Sun Guofeng has been left adrift in Shanghai after his parents were arrested on suspicion of fraud. An, the dorm manager, is grieving the death of her daughter and the collapse of her family. Hu Ling plays An, a role that sits alongside her earlier credits, including Lou Ye's Summer Palace. Tan Zuhong plays Guofeng.
The production was a Hong Kong-France co-production. Its shoot in 2023 lasted 28 days. Editing took three years and went through dozens of versions, Variety said. Producer Zhang Ming is the director of 1996's Rainclouds Over Wushan. Wang had worked as an assistant director before making this film, his debut as a director, according to the festival's own film notes.
Tokyo's competition line-up was announced in late September. Deadline listed Wang's film alongside Qiu Jiongjiong's Fuxi: Four Tales Of Feasting, and Variety also named it in its report on the competition titles from early October. IndieWire put the film on its list of the festival's best movies to see and called it a Chinese standout in the competition section.
The festival's guest page says Wang's appearance for the film was cancelled, with the change noted on October 21.
Tokyo is one of the autumn festivals where sales agents and buyers look at new work. Titles shown there can take a year or more to reach cinemas or streaming services. No release date or distributor for The Night That Binds Us has been announced.
