2018年CRI Jia Zhangke's biggest budget movie to hit Chinese theatres soon

（单词翻译）

Director Jiang Zhangke's new gangland flick¹ "Ash Is Purest White" is scheduled to open in Chinese theatres this Friday (Sept 21).

In addition to making his wife Zhao Tao a lead actress, as he has in other movies he's directed, he also hired movie stars such as Zhang Yibai to play supporting roles.

Zhang spoke² at the premiere of the movie in Beijing on Sunday.

"I'm a native of Chongqing municipality. Coincidentally, my part was shot in Chongqing. I play a diner who pretends to be a man of success and actually I'm quite familiar with the persons of this type."

Set from 2001 until present day, the 141-minute film follows a couple of one-time lovers through the transformation³ of China. Zhao Tao and actor Liao Fan play the couple.

Earlier, Ash Is Purest White was nominated⁴ for the Palme d'Or, one of the movie world's most prestigious⁵ awards.

The movie had a production budget of 80 million yuan, or around 11-million US dollars, and is believed as the most expensive among director Jia's nine feature films.