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Beijing-based Rediance has acquired two Cannes-bound Chinese films for international sales: Ripples Of Life from Directors’ Fortnight and Zhao Liang’s latest documentary I’m So Sorry.
Ripples Of Life marks the third Cannes outing for Chinese director Wei Shujun whose debut feature Striding Into The Wind was in last year’s official selection, while his short film On The Border received a special mention in 2018.
Ripples Of Life follows a big star who brings a film crew to her remote hometown for a shoot, but the production is afflicted by the endless debate between the director and the writer, while a local restaurant owner who lives a boring life finds excitement to be the stand-in for the star. Major financiers include Qingdao Zhong Chuang Ju He Film & TV, Factory Gate Films, and Inner Self Films.
After premiering Petition as a special screening 12 years ago, Chinese independent filmmaker and multi-media artist Zhao returns to Cannes with an ambitious documentary that looks at the dangers of nuclear energy. I’m So Sorry brought him to various nuclear power locations such as Ukraine, Belarus, Japan, Kazakhstan, Germany and Finland.
According to Rediance, the documentary has a futuristic style, close to cyberpunk science fiction that suggests a near dystopian future. It will be presented in Cannes’ Cinema for the Climate, a special strand with an environmental theme.
The documentary represents the first international project of Zhao whose has made many award-winning documentaries such as Behemoth, Petition, and Crime And Punishment. Backers include his own company Image Production, Arte France and Les Films d’Ici.
Rediance is also involved in another two Cannes titles. The Chinese company is the producer of Anthony Chen’s segment The Break Away, which is part of the omnibus film The Year Of The Everlasting Storm, and a co-producer of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Palme d’Or contender Memoria.
Also on its slate is Geng Jun’s Manchurian Tiger, which was named best film at the Shanghai festival over the weekend.
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