Touching Hearts Through Cinema -- Chinese Film "My World Without Me" Earns High Praise at Cannes

79th Festival de Cannes • Spotlight on Chinese Cinema • China Pavilion

CANNES, France, May 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 14 (local time), the Chinese film My World Without Me, directed by Tian Hairong, was screened at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Selected for the International Promotional Screening Unit of the 79th Festival de Cannes, the film garnered warm applause and high praise from audiences around the world, as well as invaluable feedback and insights.

Following the screening, the film's creative team joined a themed panel at the China Pavilion titled "The Power of Images and Care for the Soul," engaging in a heartfelt dialogue with filmmakers and audiences from across the globe on the themes of life and adversity — resonating deeply with the tender hearts of people from all cultural backgrounds. The panel was hosted by China Film Foundation & China Film Association and organized by China Film Foundation • Wutianming Film Fund.

About the Film and Its Creative Team

My World Without Me is directed and headlined by Tian Hairong, with Zhang Hanyu serving as executive producer for the first time. The film was crafted over nearly seven years with exceptional care and dedication. It focuses on the contemporary community of people with hidden depression, conveying love and hope through the quiet spaces of daily life and the gentle light found in ordinary moments. Confronting suffering head-on, the film exemplifies the restrained aesthetics and humanistic warmth characteristic of Chinese realist cinema, offering an Eastern perspective on mental health narratives.

Tian Hairong is a graduate of the Performance Department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy and a renowned actress and producer in mainland China. She received the Golden Deer Award for Best Actress at the Changchun International Film Festival for Romantic Girl, the Best Actress award at the Nordic International Film Festival for The Spirit of a Generation: Tang Qunying, and the Best Supporting Actress award at the 12th Macao International Film Festival. Tian expressed her hope that through international platforms such as Cannes, the world will come to feel the warmth and depth of Chinese cinema.

International Recognition

French director Frédéric Oberlin praised the film for using a uniquely Eastern mastery of emotion to deliver silent feelings directly to the heart. Sinologist Luisa Prudentino noted after viewing the film that its sincere emotional core transcends cultural barriers, protecting the dignity of life and becoming a warm thread of empathy connecting different civilizations.

The film is set to continue participating in further international film festivals, using the power of cinema to build bridges of cultural communication and to help Chinese stories reach the world in a manner rich with humanistic care.

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

Touching Hearts Through Cinema -- Chinese Film "My World Without Me" Earns High Praise at Cannes

CHONGQING, China, May 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from iChongqing - The 8th Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) opened in Chongqing on May 21, bringing together nearly 1,400 companies from 50 countries and regions to explore new opportunities in investment, trade, and industrial cooperation across western China.

The four-day fair runs through May 24 and highlights the region's ongoing industrial upgrading and stronger service capabilities, featuring a 150,000-square-meter exhibition of advanced manufacturing and cutting-edge technologies, alongside nearly 40 events. Visitors can see innovations such as Unitree robots and Changan flying cars, browse international products, and enjoy authentic Chongqing cuisine.

The United Kingdom is the guest country of honor, Sichuan Province is the permanent guest province, and Gyeonggi Province of South Korea is the guest city, with the UK bringing representatives from McLaren, GSK, HSBC, Standard Chartered, and InterContinental Hotels Group, among others.

"Chongqing has moved from being a center of heavy industry to becoming a dynamic hub for high-tech manufacturing, digital innovation, and modern services," said Peter Wilson CMG, British Ambassador to China, at the opening ceremony. "It is now a gateway to western China, a driver of regional growth and an increasingly important node in global supply chains."

Wilson said these developments align with the UK's own priorities. "We are focused on advanced manufacturing, digitalization, green growth, and innovation-led development," he said. "That alignment gives us a much better basis for cooperation."

Kim Dae-soon, Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, said Gyeonggi and Chongqing have become trusted economic and trade partners. Citing the Chinese saying, "A close neighbor is better than a distant relative," he said the event could help deepen cooperation between the two regions and advance China-Republic of Korea economic ties.

At the opening ceremony, Chongqing released the Investment Opportunities List for the first time, featuring 277 projects worth nearly 580 billion yuan across five areas: the "33618" modern manufacturing cluster system, scientific and technological innovation, new energy and computing hub development, the inland opening-up hub, and megacity governance and urban modernization.

A signing ceremony for major projects was also held during the opening ceremony, with this year's WCIFIT reaching 212 signed projects in sectors including intelligent connected new energy vehicles, next-generation electronic information, and biomedicine.

For more information about the WCIFIT, click here.

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

WCIFIT Opens in Chongqing with 1,400 Global Firms, Showcasing Robots, Flying Cars, and Local Cuisine