Headlines from China: Zhang Ziyi to Be The First Mentor from Asia for Cannes Cinema Masterclass 

Zhang Ziyi to Be The First Mentor from Asia for Cannes Cinema Masterclass 

On May 8, the 72nd Cannes Film Festival announced the lineup of this year’s Cinema Masterclass. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi has been invited as the first “master” from Asia to lead masterclass activities. Zhang is also the youngest female filmmaker to be invited to this program. This year’s masters also include Alain Delon, Sylvester Stallone and Nicolas Winding Refn. Zhang Ziyi has six films entered the Cannes Film Festival since 2000. Zhang has also served as a juror of the festival before. Read more on Mtime

Jia Zhangke Starts Filming A New Film

On May 9, renowned Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke announced on his Weibo account that he was starting the filming of a new film on the same day. A poster of the new film was released along with the announcement. The poster shows the image of a small village surrounded by mountains. Title Yige Cunzhuang De Wenxue (The Literature of A Village), the film’s plot and cast are yet to be revealed. In addition to this new film, Jia Zhangke is also preparing for another film, which is an ancient costume drama film titled Zai Qingchao (In Qing Dynasty). Jia mentioned in a recent interview that he planned to start filming Zai Qingchao in 2020. Read more on Mtime

‘A Dog’s Journey’ Set for May 7 China Release

American drama film A Dog’s Journey, the sequel to the 2017 film A Dog’s Purpose, has been set to release day and date with the U.S. on May 7. Based on W. Bruce Cameron’s novel of the same name, A Dog’s Journey tells the story of a dog that finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets. A Dog’s Purpose earned $188 million worldwide with $88 million from the China market. Alibaba Pictures co-produced and co-financed the sequel. Read more on Mtime