Jia Zhang-ke’s Cannes title ‘Caught By The Tides’ scores US deal

Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired US rights to Caught By The Tides, director Jia Zhang-ke’s entry in last month’s Cannes competition line-up. 

The companies said they plan to release the film exclusively in US cinemas “in the coming months.” 

Written by Jia and Wan Jiahuan. the Chinese-language film stars Jia’s wife Zhao Tao and Li Zhubin in a love story unfolding over 23 years against the backdrop of China’s explosive growth. The film includes both new material and old footage shot by Jia since the turn of the millennium. 

Caught By The Tides is produced by Casper Liang Jiayan, Shozo Ichiyama and Zhang Dong. The film is an X Stream Pictures, Momo Pictures, Huanxi Media Group Limited (Beijing) and Wishart Media (Quanzhou) production in association with mk2 Films, Ad Vitam and Bitters End. 

The drama is Sideshow and Janus’ latest buy out of this year’s Cannes festival line-up: the companies previously acquired Payal Kapadia’s Grand Prix winner All We Imagine As Light, Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow, Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia and Leos Carax’s It’s Not Me. 

In a statement, Sideshow and Janus Films said: “Jia Zhang-ke is one of the twenty-first century’s most important filmmakers and with Caught By The Tides he delivers what will surely be considered one of his great films that gives us the gift of watching Zhao Tao across over two decades culminating in one of the best scenes of their career together. We are thrilled to bring this to American audiences in the coming months.”

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