Top 150 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2020: #43. School Town – Liu Jian

School Town

Chinese animator Liu Jian should hopefully have his third feature ready sometime in 2020, School Town, meant to be an autobiographical look at the director’s own life. Little is known about the project, which Jian announced he was working on shortly after the premiere of his 2017 sophomore film Have a Nice Day at the Berlin International Film Festival. It’s the second part of Jian’s planned “Time Trilogy,” which began with his 2010 debut Piercing I, and is meant to be completed by the as yet unproduced Mr. 19. Previously, Jian competed for the Golden Bear at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival.

Gist: College freshman Xiao Wang has a conflict with his roommate, disturbing the quiet routine of middle-aged security employee Lao Wang.

Release Date/Prediction: Jian announced he was in the midst of production on School Town in early 2018. While Have a Nice Day took three year to complete, it might be too early to expect Jian to return to Berlin 2020, but we’re thinking Locarno 2020 or even Venice for his next premiere.