Bound in Heaven

Bound in Heaven (Chinese: 捆绑上天堂) is a 2024 Chinese romantic crime drama film written and directed by Huo Xin in her directorial debut, starring Ni Ni, Zhou You and Liao Fan.^[2] It was adapted from 2003 novel of the same name by Li Xiuwen.^[3] The film had its world premiere at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024.^[4] It was also selected to compete for the Golden Shell at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival on September 25, 2024,^[5][6][7] where it won FIPRESCI Award and Jury Prize for Best Cinematography (for Piao Songri).^[8]

Bound in Heaven
Film poster
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	捆绑上天堂
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kǔnbǎng shàng tiāntáng
Directed by	Huo Xin
Written by	Huo Xin
Based on	Bound in Heaven (捆绑上天堂) by Li Xiuwen
Produced by	An Hanjin
Starring	Ni Ni Zhou You Liao Fan
Cinematography	Piao Songri
Edited by	Zhang Chao Tsai Yann-shan Matthieu Laclau
Music by	Zhi Shiliu Yang Bowen
Production companies	Such A Good Film Co Shanghai Shigu Film Co., Ltd. Alibaba Pictures (Beijing) Co., Ltd Shanghai Lingguang Film Co., Ltd.
Distributed by	Rediance Films
Release dates	6 September 2024 (2024-09-06) (TIFF) 25 September 2024 (2024-09-25) (San Sebastián)
Running time	105 minutes[1]
Country	China
Language	Mandarin

Plot

The film portrays a story where an exhausted woman (played by Ni Ni) rekindles the spirit of a man (played by Zhou You), whose heart has grown cold and desolate. Together, they embark on a journey of both physical and emotional liberation, bound tightly by desire and passion, navigating through an intense exploration of life and death.

Cast

• Ni Ni as Xia You
• Zhou You as Xu Zitai
• Liao Fan as Song

Release

On September 6, 2024, Bound in Heaven had its world premiere in the "Centrepiece" section of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.^[9][4]

Bound in Heaven also screened in the Main Competition section of the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival on September 25, 2024,^[5] and at the 19th Rome Film Festival in the 'Progressive Cinema Competition - Visions for the World of Tomorrow' section in October 2024.^[10]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
San Sebastián International Film Festival	September 28, 2024	Golden Shell	Bound in Heaven	Nominated	[5][2]
		FIPRESCI Award		Won	[8]
		Jury Prize for Best Cinematography	Piao Songri	Won
Philadelphia Film Festival	October 27, 2024	Best Feature	Bound in Heaven	Won	[11]
Rome Film Festival	October 27, 2024	Best Film in Progressive Cinema Competition - Visions for the World of Tomorrow		Won	[12][13]
		Best First Film Award		Won

References

1. "San Sebastian Film Festival :: Bound in Heaven". Festival de San Sebastián. July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
2. "Maite Alberdi, Edward Berger, Gia Coppola, Costa-Gavras, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Mike Leigh, Diego Lerman, Joshua Oppenheimer and François Ozon to compete in the Official Selection alongside first-timers Laura Carreira and Xin Huo". Festival de San Sebastián. July 30, 2024. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
3. "电影《捆绑上天堂》入围圣塞巴斯蒂安国际电影节主竞赛单元" [The film "Bound to Heaven" was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the San Sebastian International Film Festival]. Mopyule (in Chinese). July 30, 2024. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
4. "Bound in Heaven - 2024 TIFF". TIFF. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
5. Zac Ntim (July 30, 2024). "San Sebastián: Edward Berger, Gia Coppola, Mike Leigh, Joshua Oppenheimer & François Ozon Among Names Set For Competition". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
6. John Hopewell, Jamie Lang (July 30, 2024). "San Sebastian Festival Competition: New Mike Leigh, Edward Berger and Gia Coppola Films and Joshua Oppenheimer's 'The End' With Tilda Swinton". Variety. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
7. "San Sebastian Film Festival :: Bound in Heaven". San Sebastián International Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
8. "'Tardes de soledad' carries off the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Festival's 72nd edition". San Sebastián International Film Festival. September 28, 2024. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024.
9. Pond, Steve (6 August 2024). "Toronto Film Festival Adds 43 International Movies From 41 Countries". The Wrap. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
10. "Films of the 2024 Film Fest". Cinema Foundation for Rome. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
11. "电影《捆绑上天堂》荣获第33届费城国际电影节最高奖项——最佳剧情片奖". Sina. 2024-10-26. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
12. Vivarelli, Nick (20 September 2024). "Johnny Depp to Receive Career Honor at Rome Film Festival, Where 'Modi' Will Launch in Italy". Variety. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
13. "The winners of the Rome Film Fest 2024". Cinema Foundation for Rome. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.

External links

• Bound in Heaven at IMDb
• Bound in Heaven on Douban