French
DeutschAn Unfinished Film
| 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 | |
Release date |
|
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.[1][2]
It had its world premiere on 16 May 2024 at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, in the Special Screenings section.[3][4][5]
Synopsis
[edit]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
[edit]- 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
[edit]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.[6]
As of May 2024[update], 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.[7]
Release
[edit]The film was nominated for the L'Œil d'or for best documentary at the 77th Cannes Film Festival,[8] where it had its world premiere on 16 May 2024 in the Special Screenings section.
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.3/10.[9]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 2024 | L'Œil d'or | Lou Ye | Nominated | [10] |
| Taipei Golden Horse Awards | 2024 | Best Narrative Feature | An Unfinished Film | Pending | [11] [12] |
| Best Director | Lou Ye | Pending | |||
| Best Film Editing | Tian Jiaming | Pending |
References
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Nominees & Winners 2024". 台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
- ^ Lee, Edmund (2024-10-03). "All Shall Be Well leads Hong Kong contenders at Golden Horse Awards". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2024-10-03.