Jia Zhangke talks record-breaking edition of Pingyao film festival

China’s Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival (PYIFF) delivered an outstanding ninth edition, selling out a record 60,000 tickets.

Demand for Pingyao’s tickets has always been overwhelming as film lovers from across China flock to the ancient city to discover features that are not easily available in theatres. Some 13.5 million clicks were recorded in the first 30 minutes after the first batch of 50,000 tickets became available online. All 60,000 tickets issued, released in batches, were snapped up.

This year included 11 Cannes titles (including seven from Competition) among its line-up such as Sirat, The President’s Cake and My Father’s Shadow. Unknown Pleasures Pictures, the new distribution company co-founded by PYIFF founder Jia Zhangke, aims to release three of them – grand prix winner Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent and Love On Trial – in China.

In a rare departure from its focus on acclaimed festival fare, PYIFF hosted the China premiere of US tentpole One Battle After Another, which opened the festival’s Galas section, ahead of its theatrical release in the country on October 17.

The festival continued to run in its new September slot for the second consecutive year from September 21-30, following last year’s shift from the colder October month to allow for more outdoor screenings in milder climes. Platform, the 1,500-seat open-air theatre named after Jia’s iconic film, is able to host two daily shows.

Several awards were handed out to pay tribute to honourable industry practitioners and filmmakers. Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) co-founder Kim Dong-ho received the international contribution to Chinese cinema award. He took part in a talk along with China-born Korean director Zhang Lu whose latest film Gloaming In Luomu won the inaugural Busan Award for best film at the 30th BIFF.

“The Busan film festival was the launchpad for many Chinese directors,” said PYIFF founder Jia, who moderated the talk with Kim and Zhang. “As Busan celebrated its 30th anniversary, when Mr Kim came to Pingyao and went on stage to receive the honour, that was the most touching and memorable moment for me.”

Notable guests included a trio of Chinese directors who earned international recognition this year. Huo Meng whose Living The Land was Berlinale’s Silver Bear winner, Bi Gan whose Resurrection received a special prize at Cannes (also PYIFF closing film), and Cai Shangjun whose The Sun Rises On Us All took the best actress prize at Venice, presented a masterclass session together with HKIFF Industry director Jacob Wong and Christian Jeune, director of Cannes’ film department. The three Chinese directors each received an outstanding filmmaker award from PYIFF.

Further masterclasses conducted for Pingyao audiences were by veteran Chinese director Feng Xiaogang, who received the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East-West Award, and filmmaker Cao Baoping, who served as jury president for the Hidden Dragons competition.

The Hidden Dragons for Chinese-language films from emerging filmmakers is one of PYIFF’s two main feature film competitions along with Crouching Tigers for international films. Shen Ko-Shang’s Deep Quiet Room from Taiwan took home the top Fei Mu awards for both best film and best actor for Joseph Chang, while Tan Siyou’s Amoeba from Singapore won Fei Wu awards for best actress for Ranice Tay and two independent awards.

“This year’s Hidden Dragons competition line-up has further widened the scope of Chinese-language films,” said Jia. Apart from Taiwan and Singapore, Hong Kong was represented by Njo Kui Ying’s #4 To Vendetta and Tommy Ng Kai Chung’s animation Another World.

“Through our ninth edition, we can see that filmmaking in East Asia is in a very active mode,” he said, also highlighting the Japanese and Korean selection. Five titles from Japan included Two Seasons, Two Strangers and Dear Stranger, while Korea director Yoon Ga-eun’s The World Of Love took the jury prize at the Roberto Rossellini awards.

On the industry front, Pingyao Project Promotion comprised a script contest, the Literary Picturised Project (LPP) for adapting literary works into film and TV, and a new vertical short drama section.

The festival will reach the 10th anniversary milestone in 2026. “We will plan for some celebrating activities,” added Jia. “Most importantly, we should feel, observe and capture the current status and recent developments in cinema.”

PYIFF takes place in the purpose-built Pingyao Festival Palace, which is situated at Pingyao, a UNESCO world heritage site, in north China’s Shanxi province.