10 feb 2017 Jia Zhangke, MK2 Reteam for MONEY & LOVE

Chinese star auteur Jia Zhangke, whose latest movie Montains May Depart competed at Cannes, is reteaming with French studio mk2 on his next directorial effort, Money & Love, a tumultuous love story set in China’s crime world.

Money & Love opens in 2001, in Datong, a poor industrial city in China, where Qiao, a pretty and young dancer falls in love with Bin, a local mobster. During a fight between rival gangs Qiao fires a shot to protect him and subsequently gets sentenced to five years in prison. Upon her release, Qiao goes looking for Bin to try and start all over again.

Juliette Schrameck, Managing Director of mk2 films , said Money & Love would be Jia Zhangke’s most ambitious drama to date in terms of scope and scale. “It’s an epic love story which unfolds over 15 years, as well as a thriller taking place in China’s underworld of crime”, explained  Schrameck, who also pointed out that mk2 was on board to co-produce the film on top of handling international sales on it.

Known for shedding light on the singularities on the Chinese society, Jia Zhangke’s films have all been critically acclaimed. His 2013 drama A Touch of Sin won Best Script at Cannes and his 2006 film Still Life won the Golden Lion in Venice. mk2 co-produced and sold Mountains May Depart across the world.

The film will reteam Jia Zhangke with his muse, Zhao Tao, who previously toplined in Mountains May Depart, Still Life and A Touch of Sin.

Shanghai Film Group Corporation, Beijing-set Xstream Pictures, Huanxi Media Group Limited, MK Productions and Office Kitano are producing the 6.4 million Euros film which is now in pre-production and is set for a delivery in December.