Chinese films create buzz in Toronto

After two years of virtual events, the 47th Toronto International Film Festival has marked its big post-pandemic return with 200 feature films and 50 shorts on the roster from Sept 8 to 18.

Among the many outstanding films being featured in the Contemporary World Cinema category is Chinese movie Return to Dust.

Directed by Li Ruijun, the film tells the story of the marriage between two middle-aged adults in a rural town in Gansu province. Li told the media that this is a film about the greater things in life.

"This film is a love story," Li said. "But it's a film about love in many layers. There's romantic love, but also love of the land, love for other people, love for the world and the environment, love for animals, and love for family."

Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed that Return to Dust grossed $5.3 million between Friday and Sunday. Those three days accounted for nearly half of the total $12.7 million it has earned since its release on July 8.

At the Chinese Film Industry Exhibition, nine outstanding Chinese films were presented at the festival, attracting much interest from filmmakers and industry professionals.

Lisa Lin, organizer and president of the Culture and Art Exchange Association of North America, said the diversity of the shortlisted films highlights the unrelenting attempts of Chinese filmmakers to explore genre films.

Life of Buda, one of the shortlisted films, is based on the true story of a former Tibetan serf who experienced life changes since the peaceful liberation of the Tibet autonomous region.

Childhood Zhou Enlai is a tribute film to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the former Chinese premier's birth.

Other featured films include the animated film Lost In-between and Shock the Ring, a film about boxing.

The documentary 1950 They Are Young, which records the precious national memory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and Promise Through Life Time, adapted from the real story of Zhang Yugun, one of the "Top Ten People Touching China in 2018", pay tribute to the heroes who defended their families and country.

"The diversity of the films shows that the Chinese film industry has started to bottom out since COVID-19, and it's going to a market recovery period," Lin told China Daily. "The vitality of China's film market and the industrial impetus are being continuously stimulated."

As of end August, total Chinese cinema box office earnings for the summer have exceeded 9 billion yuan ($1.29 billion), surpassing last summer's total box office earnings of 7.38 billion yuan, according to data from Maoyan Professional Edition.