The Chinese films selected for the main competition at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival included not only Diao Yinan’s *Black Coal, Thin Ice*, but also Jiang Wen’s *Gone with the Bullets*, his follow-up to *Let the Bullets Fly*. Having two films selected for one of the three major European film festivals in a single year naturally sent the media into a frenzy of excitement.
However, compared to *Black Coal, Thin Ice*—which was relatively niche and helmed by a director less famous than Jiang Wen—domestic media were far more optimistic about Jiang Wen’s *Gone with the Bullets*. After all, it had only been a few years since the success of *Let the Bullets Fly*, and its reputation remained stellar, with many of its iconic lines still fresh in the minds of fans.
Although Diao Yinan did have a track record of being selected for one of the three major European festivals, it was merely for a section of the Cannes Film Festival with *Night Train*; he had never even reached the main competition.
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