Caught by the Tides directed by Jia Zhang-ke will open the TOKYO FILMeX International Film Festival, which will take place from November 23 until December 1, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan.

Open Ceremony
November 23, 2024 | Saturday | Marunouchi TOEI | 18:20 pm

Caught by the Tides by Jia Zhang-ke – China | 2024 – 111 minutes

Starring Jia Zhang-Ke’s longtime muse Zhao Tao, the film depicts two decades of a woman’s life centered on her relationship with a man who left her. Beginning in 2001, the story captures the sentimental tribulations of the woman and her growing independence as time passes – shifting between periods from 5 years, then 16 years, until chapter 3 set in 2022. The opening scene was shot around 2001, and by the time the protagonists return to Datong city at the end of the film, this old mining town has become a completely different world, open to the possibilities of the future. The first two chapters of the film utilize unused footage shot in various formats from the past, partially referencing the sound-era silent film format, and the fluid editing style is supported by soundtracks of pop, disco, and traditional music. This unique hybrid moving image and sound astonishingly brings back collective memories from each era. The film world premiered in the Competition program at the Cannes Film Festival. (TOKYO FILMeX 2024)

Trailer:

About the director:
Jia Zhang-Ke was born in Fenyang, Shanxi, in 1970 and graduated from Beijing Film Academy. His debut feature Xiao Wu won prizes in Berlin, Vancouver and elsewhere. Since then, his films have routinely premiered at major European festivals. Still Life won the Golden Lion in Venice in 2006, A Touch Of Sin won the Best Screenplay prize at Cannes in 2013 and Mountains May Depart and Ash Is Purest White were in competition in Cannes 2015 and 2018. Several of his films have blurred the lines between fiction and documentary.

For more information, please visit: https://filmex.jp/en/