Peter Chan’s She’s Got No Name, starring Zhang Ziyi, is to be divided into two parts for its theatrical release – the first of which is set to open the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF, June 13-22).
The 1940s Shanghai-set crime thriller had a runtime of 150 minutes when it premiered out of competition at Cannes last year. In a video released on SIFF’s WeChat and Weibo social media accounts, director Chan explained that the film will now be released in two parts.
Both films are interconnected and can also be seen as a standalone. “It’s a special arrangement and a big risk to me,” said Chan in the video.
The story is based on a famous unsolved murder case in 1940s Shanghai and revolves around a lower-class woman, played by Zhang, who is known only by the family names of her husband Zhan-Zhou. When she is found with her husband’s dismembered body, she confesses to his killing but later retracts her statement, resulting in a high-profile trial.
According to SIFF, the first part has a duration of 96 minutes and carries the same English title, She’s Got No Name. It will play in more than 100 cinemas in Shanghai from June 14 – the day after the festival opening – for one week. A nationwide release is also being scheduled. There are no details yet available for the title or release date of the second part.
Produced by Chan’s own banner We Pictures, filming took place almost entirely on location in Shanghai.
In the video, Chan also paid tribute to his late father, writer-director Chan Tung Man, who had fond memories of the places and people of the old Shanghai. He passed away a few months before the start of filming.
Along with Zhang, actors Wang Chuanjun, Lei Jiayin, Yang Mi, Da Peng, Li Xian and Ci Sha walked the red carpet at the Cannes premiere in 2024. The ensemble cast also includes Jackson Yee, Fan Wei and Zhang Zifeng.
At SIFF, Hong Kong-born filmmaker Chan will also be honoured in the festival’s new Filmmaker in Focus sidebar, which will screen several of his films including 1997’s Comrades: Almost A Love Story, starring Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai; 2005’s Perhaps Love, starring Zhou Xun and Takeshi Kaneshiro; 2007’s The Warlords, with Jet Li, Andy Lau and Kaneshiro; and 2013’s American Dreams In China, with Huang Xiaoming and Deng Chao.
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