| An Unfinished Film | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lou Ye |
| Written by | Lou Ye Yingli Ma |
| Produced by | Philippe Bober Yingli Ma |
| Starring | Qin Hao Mao Xiaorui Qi Xi |
| Cinematography | Zeng Jian |
| Edited by | Tian Jiaming |
| Production companies | Yingfilms Essential Films ZDF/Arte Cinema Inutile Teamfun International Gold Rush Pictures |
| Release date |
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| Running time | 106 minutes |
| Countries | Singapore Germany |
| Language | Mandarin |
An Unfinished Film (Chinese: 一部未完成的电影) is a 2024 docufiction film directed by Lou Ye, and written by Lou and Yingli Ma.
It had its world premiere on 16 May 2024 at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, in the Special Screenings section. It won both Best Narrative Feature and Best Director at the 61st Golden Horse Awards.
Synopsis
In January 2020, a film crew reunites near Wuhan to resume the shooting of a film halted ten years earlier, only to share the unexpected challenges as cities are placed under lockdown.
Cast
- Qin Hao as Jiang Cheng
- Mao Xiaorui as Director Xiaorui
- Qi Xi as Sang Qi
- Huang Xuan as Ye Xiao
- Liang Ming as Ah-Jian
- Zhang Songwen as Tang
- Youyou as Paopao
Production
The film combines outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage from Lou's previous films—Suzhou River (2000), Spring Fever (2009), Mystery (2012), and The Shadow Play (2018)—and original footage of a film crew playing versions of themselves. It was originally conceived as a film consisting of old footage of Qin Hao playing various roles, which Lou felt "reflected the changes in China over the past decade or so", but as the COVID-19 pandemic began, it became a film centred on filmmaking during the pandemic.
As of May 2024, a separate film by Lou also consisting of footage from Spring Fever, Mystery, and The Shadow Play and new footage featuring Qin, Huang Xuan, Liang Ming, and Qi Xi was in production.
Release
The film was nominated for the L'Œil d'or for best documentary at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 16 May 2024 in the Special Screenings section. It made its North American premiere at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival in the Centrepiece Programme. It was also selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 under the World Cinema section. It was released theatrically in France on 23 October 2024.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.3/10.
Accolades
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 2024 | L'Œil d'or | Lou Ye | Nominated | |
| Singapore International Film Festival | 2024 | Audience Choice Award | An Unfinished Film | Won | |
| Taipei Golden Horse Awards | 2024 | Best Narrative Feature | Won | ||
| Best Director | Lou Ye | Won | |||
| Best Film Editing | Tian Jiaming | Nominated | |||
| TOKYO FILMeX | 2024 | Audience Award | An Unfinished Film | Won |
References
- Rosser, Michael. "Lou Ye's Cannes title 'An Unfinished Film' heads to Coproduction Office, lands first sales (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- Goodfellow, Melanie (2024-04-22). "Oliver Stone, Lou Ye, Michel Hazanavicius Films & 'The Count Of Monte Cristo' Among New Titles Added To Cannes 2024 Official Selection". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- Vlessing, Etan (2024-04-22). "Cannes Adds Michel Hazanavicius, Mohammad Rasoulof, Emanuel Parvu Titles to Official Competition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- Khaldi, Tarik (2024-05-16). "An Unfinished Film: Lou Ye tells the story of a doomed film project". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- Frater, Patrick (2024-11-24). "Lou Ye's 'An Unfinished Film' Wins Top Honors at Golden Horse Awards". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- "Pressbook" (PDF). Wolf Consultants. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- Wong, Silvia (18 May 2024). "Lou Ye to finish 'An Unfinished Film' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- "2024 Competition". Scam : Société civile des auteurs multimédia (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- "TIFF announces its 2024 Centrepiece programme with titles from over 40 countries". TIFF. August 6, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- Deb, Deepshikha (2024-09-30). "MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Unveils 2024 Official Lineup". High On Films. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- Colombani, Florence (2024-10-28). "« Chroniques chinoises », faux documentaire sur l'enfer du confinement". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- Mélinard, Michaël (2024-10-22). "« Chroniques chinoises » : Lou Ye dans l'atmosphère anxiogène de Wuhan au début du Covid". L'Humanité (in French). Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- Marzolf, Hélène (2024-10-22). ""Chroniques chinoises" : quand Lou Ye dénonce les dérives du confinement". Télérama (in French). Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- "An Unfinished Film". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- "Festival de Cannes, découvrez la Sélection 2024 de L'Œil d'or". Scam : Société civile des auteurs multimédia (in French). 10 May 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- "35th Singapore International Film Festival Closes with Record-breaking Box Office, Celebrates Excellence in Asian Cinema at Silver Screen Awards". Singapore International Film Festival. December 9, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- Ramachandran, Naman (2024-12-10). "'Mongrel' Takes Top Prize at Singapore International Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
- Wong, Silvia (24 November 2024). "'An Unfinished Film', 'Bel Ami' among top winners at Golden Horse Awards". Screen International. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- Hsieh, Allie (2024-11-23). "金馬61完整得獎名單線上看！鍾雪瑩奪影后淚崩，張志勇擊敗張震奪影帝". ELLE (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- "フィルメックス授賞式". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 2024-12-01. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- "第25回東京フィルメックス受賞結果". TOKYO FILMeX (in Japanese). 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
External links
| Films directed by Lou Ye | |
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