Cai Shangjun’s drama is about a young man who wants to find his brother’s killer.

People Mountain People Sea (Ren Shan Ren Hai) is the surprise film in competition at the 68th edition of the Venice Film Festival, the Biennale announced Tuesday. That brings the number of films in competition up to 23 titles.

Directed by Beijing-based director Cai Shangjun [pictured], People Mountain People Sea is a drama about a young man that wants to find the killer of his younger brother and claim a reward. He seeks out the assistance of an old friend, and the journey becomes one that fuels his grief and rage.

The surprise film has become a tradition of the Venice Film Festival since 2006, when Jia Zhangke’s Still Life, a lengthy documentary about a Chinese damn project, became the unexpected winner of the Golden Lion.

Shangjun has previously made the film The Red Awn, which won the FIPRESCI Prize at Korea’s Pusan Festival in and the Golden Alexander Award for best film at Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival among other awards.

The Venice Film Festival wraps on Saturday.

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