Amid the gloomy film market due to the COVID-19 crisis, art-house films – especially those focusing on ethnic groups – are coming more into the spotlight in China. And among them is Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden's film "Balloon."

Released in November, the film sees the clash of traditional and modern values in a Tibetan family. Tseden shared with CGTN the inspiration for making the film.

"When I saw a red balloon floating in Beijing's Zhongguancun (the city's tech hub), it just came to me that it was a perfect image for a film," Tseden said.

"As my films are mostly centered on the place where I was born, I linked the image to Tibet. Then another image came to mind, the white balloon, the condom – a key element in the film."

Balloon is also the director's first attempt to tell a story from a female's perspective. And he said it was an unintentional coincidence and was for "better building the character."

One of the film's highlights is the supernatural scenes in the film and Tseden told CGTN that they all had their implications in Tibetan culture. It's similar to Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "magic realism." He added that it's linked in their culture there, this mystic element, something that might seem out of this world for others. And this is rooted in their life and their culture.

When asked about films that had influenced him, Tseden said Iranian films offered him some interesting perspectives, for instance, films told from a child's eye and how to make the story relatable.

The director is also delighted that more art-house films marching on to the big screen this year.

"The market is changing. Art-house films can get a spot in the cinema, and there's more room for them to survive and thrive," he added.