Palm Springs Intl Film Festival features Chinese movie 'Red Amnesia'

The concept poster for Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai's thriller, "Red Amnesia."

The 26th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), one of the largest in North America, will show Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai's film "Red Amnesia" in the Modern Masters category on Thursday and Friday.

"I chose 'Red Amnesia' because of its production values, acting, and the story that tells about the old and new China," Theresa Hayes, Asian Film Programmer at PSIFF, told Xinhua.

"Red Amnesia" tells the story of an elderly widow who starts receiving anonymous phone calls, and her sons at first ignore her and assume these are the delusions of a lonely and disoriented old woman. But the harassment continues becoming a painful reminder of a long-forgotten past.

Hayes was impressed by the "universal adaptation of people caught in a difficult situation and how they manage to push those memories far back in their mind."

"This is a challenging work that guards its secret closely but builds cumulative power," said David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter in a review. "This well-acted drama's enigmatic spell creeps up on you."

The film was selected in competition for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival in 2014. Hayes said the Modern Masters is a category that focuses on known and deserving directors.

The ten-day PSIFF will continue till Jan. 12. About 140,000 people from across the United States are expected to attend the festival this year.