(From left to right) Cast members Liang Jingdong, Zhang Yi, Zhao Tao, Director Jia Zhangke, cast members Sylvia Chang and Dong Zijang pose on the red carpet as they leave after the screening of the film "Mountains May Depart" (Shan he gu ren) in competition at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 20, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

Asked about if Chinese movies are in a trend to be filmed in English just asShan He Gu Ren, Jia said: "a man who lost his mother tongue, can really return to his hometown? That's one of the questions this movie poses."

"In this rapid changing world, something needs changing, while something needs preserving and protecting, such as languages," he said.