The World

Thursday, May 1 - Wednesday, May 7, 2025

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

An at once intimate and expansive exploration of globalization from visionary director Jia Zhangke, THE WORLD takes place in the eponymous theme park on the outskirts of Beijing, where iconic monuments from the Eiffel Tower to the Taj Mahal are reproduced for tourists. It’s there that the park’s employees—including a dancer (Zhao Tao) and a security guard (Cheng Taishen)—drift together and are pulled apart in a cycle of connection and alienation that speaks eloquently to the effects of China’s rapid modernization.

Screening as part of Time and Tide: The Films of Jia Zhang-ke

See more and save! Get a Jia Zhang-ke 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
  • Language Mandarin with English subtitles
  • Year 2004
  • Running Time 143 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor Janus
  • Director Jia Zhang-ke
  • Cast Zhao Tao, Cheng Taishen, Jue Jing, Zhongwei Jiang, Yiqun Huang
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

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