The film "Legendary in the Sea" displays the vicissitudes of nearly a hundred years of Shanghai, this oriental metropolis, through interviews with Chinese people from all walks of life across Taiwan Strait. It is full of Jia Zhangke's signature style. Starting with painter Chen Tuohua and ending with writer and race car driver Han Han, it tells stories about revolutions, battles, assassinations, and love that have happened in Shanghai through the personal experiences of 18 characters. Jia Zhangke frankly said that this is the most dreamlike and luxurious star cast in the history of world cinema, including not only historical figures who have weathered storms but also contemporary literary and artistic figures. He also expressed that he will hold a meeting in Jia Zhangke's living room for Shanghainese, where one interviewee will chat with everyone every day.
It was learned that the domestic screening version was originally 10 minutes shorter than the Cannes screening version. Jia Zhangke said that at the time they were rushing to participate in the competition, and now it has been edited more delicately. As for the cost recovery model, he revealed that it would be operated diversely. We sold the overseas copyright not long after the opening ceremony of Cannes, and also signed an agreement with this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Of course, we are also very concerned about the domestic market, and it will also be screened as an Expo exhibit.
"Legendary in the Sea" made its appearance at the Shanghai International Film Festival. On the morning of June 20, director Jia Zhangke carried the documentary "Legendary in the Sea" to appear at the Shanghai Film Festival and officially announced that the film will be released nationwide on July 2. Recently, there were rumors that the film faced difficulties in review due to Han Han's radical remarks. In response to this, Jia Zhangke clarified that this was really a misunderstanding. There was originally a press conference scheduled for June 14, but due to the processing issues of the copy, and because the entire film is in Shanghai dialect, it needed to be subtitled in both Chinese and English, so it was temporarily canceled, causing a misunderstanding. Regarding the claim that Han Han's remarks were too radical, he said that the interviewees were all telling their own stories, purely personal stories plus real history, and the entire submission process went smoothly. He said that his conversation with Han Han only lasted 5 hours at the racetrack, feeling unsatisfied, hoping to invite them all to the premiere, to have another dialogue with Han Han on stage.