Bi Gan's 'Resurrection' Premieres at Cannes 2025, Exploring Cinema's Future Through Analog Craft

In 2025, Bi Gan's 'Resurrection' made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by theatrical releases in Europe and the U.S. during the Christmas season. The film features Taiwanese actress Shu Qi portraying a silent film-era star who examines an androgynous creature reminiscent of Frankenstein, symbolizing cinema and revealing a 19th-century camera at its heart. Spanning two hours, the narrative traverses dreamlike sequences across various 20th-century film styles, employing traditional filmmaking techniques such as shooting on an abandoned railway and utilizing natural light. This work resonates with Bi Gan's previous films, 'Kaili Blues' (2015) and 'Long Day's Journey Into Night' (2018), and reflects on the history of cinema in light of generative AI's influence, as analyzed by Béatrice Grenier, who notes the limited engagement of artists with AI's philosophical considerations.