Toronto: Lou Ye’s ‘An Unfinished Film’ Sets North American Release (EXCLUSIVE)

Chinese director Lou Ye’s pandemic-era docu-drama film which has its North American premiere this week at the Toronto International Film Festival will have a commercial release in the market in early 2025.
North American rights to the film, which premiered in Cannes in May, have been picked up by indie distributor Film Movement. Sales are handled by the film’s co-producer The Coproduction Office.

Plans for the film’s North American roll-out include a 2025 theatrical release, as well as distribution on leading digital platforms and in the home entertainment marketplace.

Set in January 2020, “An Unfinished Film” follows director Xiaorui who convinces his cast and crew to resume the shooting of a film halted ten years earlier.  With the shoot almost complete, rumors regarding an illness begin to circulate. Some of the cast and crew manage to leave before the hotel is locked down by security guards. Everyone remaining on set is confined to their hotel rooms, and the director must decide whether to halt the filming once again as Wuhan is locked down in the early days of a terrifying pandemic.

“Few films have so skillfully captured the way Covid caused such traumatic temporal disruptions in its early days, wherein sudden changes in physical and emotional routine caused time to both stretch and collapse,” said Variety’s review from Cannes.

Film Movement described the film as “relevant and moving, deeply personal yet universally resonant.” “’An Unfinished Film’ is a haunting but ultimately life-affirming chronicle of the early days of lockdown, revisiting footage from the past and bringing order — through intelligent, unconventional filmmaking — to the flood of memories and mobile-phone images that overwhelmed us during the COVID years,” said the company.

“Having left an indelible mark on the international film scene with lasting contributions such as ‘Suzhou River’ and ‘Summer Palace,’ Lou Ye’s ‘An Unfinished Film’ reflects on his iconic filmography to create a film that intelligently melds his personal history with recent global events in stunning and moving fashion” said Michael Rosenberg, president of Film Movement. “It reaffirms him as a vital contemporary voice in cinema, and we’re excited to be able to share such an unforgettable, eye-opening film with North American moviegoers.”

Film Movement has also recently acquired: the 4K restoration of cult classic “Candy Mountain” from filmmakers Robert Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer; “Agent Of Happiness,” the Sundance Grand Jury-nominated documentary; Robin Campillo’s “Red Island” (in theaters now); legendary filmmaker Victor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes” (in theaters since Aug. 23); “Eureka.” from Argentinian director Lisandro Alonso (opening in theaters on Sept. 20); and “Green Night,” a Chinese noir thriller starring Fan Bingbing.