Director Jia Zhangke is president of the horizon unit at this year's Venice Film Festival. Provided to China Daily

Giving a Dam about innovative films

China has close links to the Venice International Film Festival with Marco Mller, director of this prestigious event, recently coming to the Chinese capital for the first Beijing International Film Festival.

This year Chinese director Jia Zhangke will serve as the president of the festival's horizon unit that aims to encourage experimentation and innovation.

In 2006 Jia won the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion with Still Life, his innovative love story set in a small town on the Yangtze River that was destroyed by the Three Gorges Dam.

The Venice event is organized by the Venice Biennale to raise awareness and promote the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance.

Venue: Venice Lido, Italy

Date: Aug 31 till Sept 10

Contact: cinema@labiennale.org

China Daily