Unknown Pleasures Picks Up Weerasethakul Film for China — SkimNews
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- Unknown Pleasures Pictures, co-founded by Jia Zhangke and Tian Qi, acquired China rights to Apichatpong Weerasethakul's "Jenjira's Magnificent Dream," with Tian confirming the deal to Variety
- The Chinese art-house distributor is also negotiating to acquire two additional titles from this year's Cannes Film Festival
- In June, Unknown Pleasures added Andrey Zvyagintsev's "Minotaur" and Marine Atlan's "La Gradiva," and in January took Greater China rights to Rafael Manuel's "Filipiñana" — a Sundance title that Jia executive produced and that had its Asian premiere at Pingyao
- The label launched in 2025 with Paola Cortellesi's Italian hit "There's Still Tomorrow," which grossed $6 million in China after opening March 8 for International Women's Day
- Later in 2025, the company picked up four Cannes titles: Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value," Kleber Mendonça Filho's "The Secret Agent," Fukada Koji's "Love on Trial," and the restoration of Charlie Chaplin's "The Gold Rush"
- Tian's previous company released Weerasethakul's "Memoria" in China, where it grossed $360,000 — about a third of the film's total worldwide box office — and Jia and Tian say that earlier success gave them confidence to launch Unknown Pleasures
- Jia Zhangke frames the business as mission-driven rather than purely commercial: "to distribute films we truly like," operating with a long-term library strategy where titles remain "evergreen" rather than needing to turn immediate profit
Why it matters: Unknown Pleasures has assembled at least nine titles in its first year — from Cannes premieres to silent-era restorations — building a catalog rather than chasing single-film returns. The contrast between Memoria's $360,000 China gross and There's Still Tomorrow's $6 million shows the company is willing to bet on auteurs with modest track records, betting that a growing library of niche international cinema finds its 1.4 billion-strong audience over time.
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