Buzz among film buffs as Chinese thriller shines at Tokyo festival

At the same time, Dong, a fan of crime-themed productions, had developed a strong interest in a serial killer case, which saw 10 Chinese women and an 8-year-old girl brutally killed in Baiyin, in Northwest China's Gansu province.

Dong had wanted to do a cinematic adaptation of the case, but he failed after a series of attempts, including contacting the first Chinese journalist who reported on the case in the 1990s, and flying to Baiyin himself to get first-hand information.

"I was a newcomer. Without enough resources and necessary authorization, I discovered that it would be impossible to do the adaptation," he explains.

But then there was a coincidence.

When Dong met Duan Yihong, the A-list actor who had won several acting awards for The Dead End, he heard that the Chinese police had arrested the Baiyin serial killer Gao Chengyong, also referred to as China's "Jack the Ripper".

"It was Aug 26, 2016. I clearly remember the details of that day. When I was discussing The Looming Storm's script with Duan (who later agreed to act in the movie), local police in Gansu were hunting for the murderer," says Dong.

The film, set in a rainy, unnamed town, is about a factory security chief's hunt for a serial killer, who kills young women.