Today, the 77th Cannes International Film Festival announced the first batch of film lists. The film "Merry Generation" directed by Jia Zhangke and starring Zhao Tao has become the only Chinese-language film shortlisted for the main competition unit of this Cannes Film Festival. This is also the sixth time that Jia Zhangke's work has been shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Cannes Film Festival.
Set in the first 21 years of this century, "The Merry Generation" tells the story of how a Chinese woman experiences the hustle and bustle of life in silence. It is worth noting that the filming cycle of the film has been extended from 2001 to 2023, which is also 22 years. Jia Zhangke revealed that "The Merry Generation" is a fictional work, and at the same time uses some documentary techniques. According to the official release of the Cannes Film Festival, the English title of the film was finally set as Caught by the Tides (the original English title was We Shall Be All). At present, the French film company MK2 has obtained the international distribution rights of the film.
"Merry Generation" starring Zhao Tao, co-starring Li Zhubin, Pan Jianlin, and Lan Zhou, and special starring Zhou You, Renke, and Mao Tao. Among them, Zhao Tao participated in the filming from 2001 to 2023.
In addition to "The Merry Generation", the films shortlisted for the main competition unit are "Metropolis" directed by Francis Ford Coppola, "The Good Kind" directed by Ugles Lanthimos, and "Paternope" directed by Paolo Sorrentino.
In terms of Chinese-language films, the film "Dog Formation" directed by Guan Hu was shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard unit, "Sauce Garden Lane" directed by Chen Kexin was selected for the non-competition unit, and "The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" directed by Zheng Baorui was selected for the midnight screening unit.
The 77th Cannes International Film Festival Main Competition Unit Finalists:
"Destination Motel" Karim Enoz
"The Apprentice" Ali Abbasi
"Birds" Andrea Arnold
"Emilia Perez" Jacques Odia
"Anola" Sean Baker
"Metropolis" by Francis Ford Coppola
The Shroud, David Cronenberg
"A Certain Substance" Coralie Farya
"Journey to the East" Miguel Gómez
"My Marcelo" Christophe Honoré
"Merry Generation" Jia Zhangke
"The Light of Imagination" Pallal Capadia
"The Kind of Goodness" by Ugs Lanthmoss
"Crazy Love" Gilles Lelouche
"Wild Diamonds" Agaté Ridinger
"Oh, Canada" Paul Schrader
"Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie" Kirill Serebrynnikov
Paternope by Paolo Sorrentino
"The Dogma Killer" Magnus Van Horn