Rising star Chinese director Bi Gan's new film, "Long Day's Journey into Night" will be the opening film of the annual Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards this year, the festival's organizers announced on Monday. 

The film, starring Tang Wei, Huang Jue, Sylvia Chang and Li Hongqi, is a story about memories and love in a magical realist portrayal. According to the synopsis, the film follows a man who has returned to hometown 12 years after having committed a still-unpunished murder. He begins the search for the woman he loved, and whom he has never been able to forget. It explores the memories and family relationships of the characters, a journey into the mysteries of a troubled life. 

"Long Day's Journey into Night" debuted in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The leading film and television website The Playlist reviewed "the mesmerizing, mysterious" film as "a flat-out masterpiece" and "an indisputably great one."

The film also contains a nearly one-hour almost surreal long take shot entirely in 3D, which stunned the audience in Cannes. 

Bi Gan is not new to employing innovative expressions in films. His directorial debut "Kaili Blues" also used a bold and ambitious artistic approach for a 45-minute long-take in the middle of the film. 

"Kaili Blues" was a critical success and picked up various awards both at home and abroad, including the Best Emerging Director Award and Special Mention for First Feature Award at the Locarno International Film Festival, as well as Best New Director at the 52nd Golden Horse Awards in 2015.

According to the producers, Bi's new film "Long Day's Journey into Night" will hit Chinese theaters this year. 

The 55th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards will run from Nov. 9 - 22, and Chinese veteran actress Gong Li will chair the festival's competition jury. Director Tsai Ming-liang's cutting-edge film "Your Face" will close the festival.

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