“Resurrection,” directed by mainland director Bi Gan and starring Shu Qi and Jackson Yee, has been confirmed to be selected for the main competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 8th. This film is also the only Chinese-language film selected for the main competition at this year’s festival, with Shu Qi having a chance to contend for the Best Actress award.
“Resurrection” is a science fiction mystery film that combines elements of surrealism, detective stories, and philosophy. The story follows a woman (played by Shu Qi) who is in a coma during surgery and discovers the remnants of a cyborg (played by Jackson Yee) in her consciousness. She then mysteriously revives him, and as the cyborg’s senses gradually awaken, they both fall into the depths of human consciousness.
The report mentioned that the process of “Resurrection” being selected for the Cannes Film Festival was not smooth and faced several twists and turns.
Although in mid-April, when the Cannes Film Festival announced the first batch of films selected for the main competition, there were rumors that Bi Gan would present his new film “Resurrection” and was expected to be selected for the main competition, there was no further news afterward.
With a week remaining until the Cannes Film Festival opening, it was previously thought that Bi Gan might not make it in time this year. There were speculations that “Resurrection” wrapped filming on April 8th, which likely meant that post-production was still ongoing. However, unexpectedly, at 7 pm Paris time on May 3rd, “Resurrection” appeared on the official Cannes website as part of the main competition list for 2025. However, this entry was swiftly deleted one hour later at 8 pm.
As netizens discussed fervently and anxiously, on the evening of the 8th, the entry for Bi Gan’s “Resurrection” reappeared on the main competition list of the Cannes Film Festival.
According to insiders, the twists and turns and the delayed confirmation of the selection of “Resurrection” for the main competition were mainly due to waiting for the Chinese film censorship approval known as the “dragon seal.” Now that the film has been confirmed for the main competition, it means that the movie has passed the review of the China Film Bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television.
At this time last year, the Chinese independent film director Wang Xiaoshuai’s film “Soil,” which was directed and selected for the Berlin Film Festival, was completely blocked because it did not pass the official Chinese censorship and did not receive the “dragon seal.” The film not only had its entry removed from the “Douban” website but also had all previous related reports and reviews deleted.
In an interview with the American magazine “Variety,” Wang Xiaoshuai revealed that as early as October 2022, the sample of “Soil” was submitted for official review. During this time, he had made more than 50 edits and deletions as requested by the censorship authorities. However, after 15 months of continuous communication, the film still did not pass the review, and the entire project came to a standstill. He openly expressed, “The long-term suppression brought about by the censorship system makes it very difficult for one to openly express and create freely. When I have a story to tell, I must first consider the censorship system, which stifles my creativity and expressive abilities.”
Bi Gan, 35, who won the Best New Director award at the 52nd Golden Horse Awards in 2015 with his first feature film “Kaili Blues,” was selected for the “Un Certain Regard” section of Cannes Film Festival in 2018 with his second feature film “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” This time, Bi Gan’s “Resurrection” being selected for the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival represents an opportunity for Shu Qi to contend for the Best Actress award.