Montage of Chinese films shines at Busan

It's a deliberately tough watch - centered around Hedwig Tam Sin-yin's fraught performance in the lead. The film is a far cry from Chan's directing debut, the star-studded and critically acclaimed domestic drama Still Human (2018), which saw her named Best New Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Montages of a Modern Motherhood was among the Chinese films that had people talking at this year's BIFF. The festival's 278-odd films included the latest, and acclaimed, productions by heavy hitters Jia Zhangke and Guan Hu. Jia's Caught by the Tides takes a journey through time, with the director revisiting characters from his earlier films, following their journeys since those films were made. The Chinese auteur dabbled with artificial intelligence in making the film. He told the media that the experience has left him pondering on how this technology might soon be altering our perceptions of what's real, and what's imagined.

Guan's Black Dog picked up the Un Certain Regard Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The film successfully blends elements of noir and grim rural drama. Hong Kong's own Ann Hui talked about her life and times and her acclaimed career during a sold-out master class.