24 City

Thursday, May 1 - Monday, May 5, 2025

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

Shot in unnervingly vivid high-def video, Jia Zhangke’s 24 CITY fuses documentary and fictional techniques to create another of the lauded director’s signature tales of the new, hypercapitalist China. In Chengdu, the compound of a massive munitions plant is being converted into luxury high-rise apartments. As the buildings are demolished around them and the past is wiped away, former workers (including Joan Chen) reminisce about the vanished world where they lived and worked. Meanwhile, a materialistic younger generation single-mindedly runs after wealth and consumer happiness.

Screening as part of Time and Tide: The Films of Jia Zhangke

See more and save! Get a Jia Zhangke Ticket Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three shows in the retrospective.

  • Country China, Hong Kong, Japan
  • Language Mandarin and Shanghainese with English subtitles
  • Year 2009
  • Running Time 112 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor Cinema Guild
  • Director Jia Zhang-ke
  • Cast Jianbin Chen, Joan Chen, Liping Lu, Zhao Tao
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.