Recently, Jia, alongside his wife and lead actress Zhao Tao, as well as actor Liao Fan, presented at a Beijing event to announce the Chinawide opening of Ash Is Purest White on Sept 21.

While considering his past achievements－especially at the Venice International Film Festival－Jia remains pragmatic about the Cannes defeat. "It's fair to lose something when you have gained another. I told my team, teasingly, that the honor will belong to us one day."

As a regular at international film festivals, Jia nabbed the coveted Golden Lion, the top honor at the Venice festival, for his film, Still Life, in 2006. His features Platform and The World were also screened in competition at the Italian festival in 2000 and 2004, respectively.

However, it's Zhao and Liao that he feels sorry for, noting: "I think they both perform extraordinarily and, while they have won a lot of international acclaim, I really hope their effort will be rewarded."