I Wish I Knew

The 2010 Chinese documentary film is directed by Jia Zhangke, who is well known for his 2004 drama film The World. Considered one of the most prominent persons in the ‘Sixth Generation’ movement of Chinese cinema, the documentary was screened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival as a part of the Un Certain Regard. The film sheds light on the evolution of the residents and the architecture of Shanghai, with many people narrating their stories, including critically acclaimed filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien, best known for directing the 2015 wuxia film The Assassin, Wong Kar Wai, and Fei Mu. It traces the evolution of Shanghai as a city from the mid-1800s, when it was established as a trading port, to the present day, and also dwells on the subject of the history of filmmaking in China.