Commissioned for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the Chacun son cinéma/To Each His Own Cinema anthology represents filmmakers’ perceptions of “their state of mind of the moment as inspired by the motion picture theatre” (Getty).

In ‘Movie Night’, Zhang Yimou plays with the idea of a village coming together around cinema, which works both as a metaphor about the Chinese film industry as well as speaks to the experience of going to the movies. It is his way of showing that cinema is a very special art form which can bring people together in times of hardship. In Zhang’s short film the movie going experience is special to anyone who sits in front of a screen surrounded by others; going to movies is a collective experience. “Movie Night” feels like a love letter to the medium which he dedicated his life and work” (Tferradans).