Jia Zhangke said his next feature will begin production in December and return to a contemporary setting, sharing the update during this year’s Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival, which he founded. He also outlined early results from his new distribution venture, Unknown Pleasures Pictures, which has started bringing select international titles to Chinese theaters and is assembling a 2025–26 slate. The move positions the director not only as a leading filmmaker but as a bridge for global arthouse fare seeking access to the mainland market.
The filmmaker’s timetable arrives as Pingyao marks its ninth edition and spotlights emerging voices across China. In public remarks at the festival, Jia described 2025 as an “explosion of Chinese talent,” citing the range of debut and sophomore features premiering in the walled-city showcase and arguing that a strong pipeline needs equally strong distribution to thrive beyond the circuit. His dual track—prepping a new feature while scaling a label dedicated to curated imports—suggests a bid to steady the flow of distinctive films into theaters amid shifting release patterns at home.
Unknown Pleasures Pictures, launched earlier this year, has already tested the model with a small number of releases, including a widely traveled Italian hit, and is targeting additional acquisitions that pair audience-friendly storytelling with festival credentials.
While detailed casting and plot information for Jia’s own film remain under wraps, he framed the project as part of his continuing interest in tracking social change in real time after recent period work, and he indicated that principal photography would take place on the mainland. Festival-side programming underscores that outlook: Pingyao’s selections this week leaned into contemporary dramas and thrillers from across Asia alongside a market platform designed to connect local producers with overseas partners.
Industry watchers read the announcements as a sign that the director will juggle authorship and infrastructure in the coming year, with the festival serving as a showcase, the label as a pipeline, and the December shoot as his next chapter behind the camera. For international sellers with China ambitions—and for domestic audiences looking beyond the biggest franchises—the combination could prove consequential if the label’s rollout accelerates and the new film lands on schedule.
