A Chinese classic endures

History of success

Jiang Wen works on 'Bullets' sequel

The 70th Venice festival claims its aim is to "raise awareness and promote various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry". In this sense, Jiang is no doubt a qualified judge.

The 50-year-old will work with eight judges including English director Andrea Arnold and celebrated French director of photography Renato Berta. Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci will lead the jury.

They will select from 20 films for the competition section, including one Chinese-language film, which is Taiwanese art-house director Tsai Ming-liang's Stray Dogs. The film revolves around a father who has lost his job in Taiwan.

Jiang and Tsai are meeting in Venice for the third time. When In the Heat of the Sun won Best Actor in 1994, Tsai's Vive L'Amour won Golden Lion for Best Film. In 2007 Tsai's Help Me Eros entered the competition section, so did Jiang's The Sun also Rises, but neither won any award.

Accompanying Jiang is his wife Zhou Yun and an American choreographer. Jiang's hotly anticipated film, his first since Let the Bullets Fly, is said to be a musical.

Jiang's publicist has confirmed that the film, titled Gone with the Bullets, stars Jiang himself, senior comedian Ge You, veteran actor Wang Zhiwen and rising star Wen Zhang. Singing and dancing would be an important part of the story set in Shanghai in the 1920s.

The filming will start in November and the film is expected to be released in winter 2014. The year also marks the 20-year anniversary of In the Heat of the Sun. According to Yan the publicist, Jiang's company is trying to release the film's restored version in Chinese cinemas.

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