Jia Zhangke is a renowned Chinese auteur known for the work "Mountains May Depart." (Photo : Reuters)
Two Chinese films, "Mountains May Depart" and "Office," have been announced to be part of the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) scheduled to take place this coming September.
The two films were among the 49 special presentation titles that were announced at the Bell Lightbox, the TIFF headquarters in downtown Toronto, Canada, last Tuesday. The titles were the first portion of an estimated 300 films, mostly made up of international and North American premieres.
"Mountains May Depart," directed by Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, is set in different time periods, from the 1990s to the year 2025, and examines how China's economic progress has affected tradition, family and love. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Earlier in July, it was announced that Jia will be leading the inaugural jury for TIFF 2015's Platform, a new program that higlights the works of film directors from around the world.
"Office," directed by Hong Kong director Johnnie To, is an adaptation of the theater play by Taiwanese playwright and actress Sylvia Chang, who also stars in the film. Other stars include Chow Yun Fat, Eason Chan and Tang Wei.
The Chinese films will be accompanied by world-class films from around the world.
"This year we are thrilled to share a diverse array of filmmakers from Australia, India, France, China, the United Kingdom and the U.S.A.," said Cameron Bailey, the artistic director of TIFF. "We look forward to sharing these fantastic films with Toronto audiences--the most engaged and enthusiastic in the world."
TIFF aims to serve as a platform that gives a glimpse of what living in today's world is like. Piers Handling, CEO and director of TIFF, said that "made by both established and emerging filmmakers from around the world, these films offer a global snapshot of our times."
TIFF was founded in 1976 and is now seen as one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, arguably second only to the Cannes Film Festival. It is also known for its reputation of generating Oscar buzz.
More of the festival's line-up of films is set to be revealed in the coming weeks.
