Jia Zhangke announces new road movie ‘Mamma Dunhuang’

Filmmaker Jia Zhangke is preparing for his upcoming road movie, ‘Mamma Dunhuang,’ which will begin production following the conclusion of the 10th Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival on September 30.

The film stars Zhao Tao as a woman traveling from the historic Silk Road hub of Dunhuang in western China to the eastern coastline. While the character in the film utilizes artificial intelligence for guidance during her journey, Jia clarified that he will not use AI in the actual production of the movie.

Jia, who founded the Pingyao festival, noted that the event is entering its tenth year. He emphasized the festival's commitment to remaining agile and focused on quality, maintaining a lean selection of boutique titles rather than large-scale programming.