Zhang Weiping also announced that later this year Zhang Yimou would attend the 62nd Venice International Film Festival from August 31st to September 10th, where Lonely Ride has a chance of winning an award. Japanese veteran star Takakura Ken, who played a leading role in the film, will also attend the festival.

Shot in Southwestern China's Yunnan Province and Japan, Lonely Ride tells the story of a Japanese man who accompanies his dying son on a mission to learn local opera in Yunnan Province.

Different from his previous two martial arts films, Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Lonely Ride has been highlighted by critics as a return to the director's art-house style of filmmaking, with a focus on human values and ordinary life stories.

Venice International Film Festival is considered a lucky event for Zhang Yimou, as he has twice won a Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the festival, first with Story of Qiu Ju (1992) and then Not One Less (1999).

Source: Shenzhendaily