X factor gets films into Venice festival

Two movies by the Beijing/Hong Kong production company Xstream Pictures have been chosen for this year's Venice Film Festival.

The Plastic City (Dangkou), directed by Hong Kong director Yu Lik-wai, is in the running for the Golden Lion award.

It concerns the gang wars between Chinese and Japanese triads and Brazilian mafias for the biggest slice of Sao Paulo's black market and prostitution rackets.

Yu is no stranger to the international stage - his 1999 film Love Will Tear Us Apart made it to the Cannes Film Festival.

Xstream's three partners are Yu, Chow Jeung and director Jia Zhangke, whose Still Life (Sanxia haoren) won the Golden Lion at Venice last year.

Jia himself embraces Venice with his 17-minute film Cry Me a River (Heshang de Aiqing). Set against the picturesque gardens of South China's Suzhou city, the film revolves around the meeting of four college friends 10 years after their graduation.

The film will be screened in the "out of competition" section. Jia won the Venice Horizons Documentary Award last year for his documentary on designer Ma Ke.

The 65th Venice Film Festival runs from August 27 to September 6.