Promotional material for Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue Photo: Maoyan

Chinese director Jia Zhangke's new work Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue has been added to the Berlinale Special program. Held from February 20 to March 1, the festival will hold several special screenings of films including the world premieres of Minamata, Charlatan, Hillary and Last and First Men.  

The documentary by Jia depicts the story of China after 1949 through the eyes of three generations of renowned Chinese writers: Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua and Liang Hong. 

On May 9, 2019, Jia launched the Lüliang Literature Festival in his hometown of Lüliang, North China's Shanxi Province. On that same day, he announced the beginning of filming for the documentary. 

Promotional material for Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue Photo: Maoyan

"It was right on this land where I wrote my first lines and shot my first film. With a devoted heart, I will search for and record the writers that I admire," Jia said at the opening ceremony of the literature festival. 

"Film is the best way to prevent things from being forgotten. Therefore, I'd like to shoot such a film about literature and the reality of the Chinese people's spirit."

Originally titled So Close to My Land, the documentary was renamed as Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue at the Pingyao International Film Festival in Shanxi Province in October 2019. 

Promotional material for Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue Photo: Maoyan