Jia Zhangke

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Jia Zhangke

Chinese name 賈樟柯 (Traditional)
Chinese name 贾樟柯 (Simplified)
Born 1970
Fenyang, Shanxi, China
Years active 1995 - present

Jia Zhangke (simplified Chinese: 贾樟柯; traditional Chinese: 賈樟柯; pinyin: Jiǎ Zhāngkē) (born 1970 in Fenyang, China) is a Chinese film director. He is generally regarded as a leading figure of the "Sixth Generation" movement of Chinese cinema, a group that also includes such figures as Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Yuan.[1]

Contents

[edit] Directorial career

In the mid-1990s, Jia Zhangke remained an unknown, one student among many in China's prestigious Beijing Film Academy. While still in school, Jia directed the short film Xiao Shan Going Home which Jia eventually was able to screen abroad where it won a top prize at the 1997 Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Awards.[1]

This success brought Jia in contact with cinematographer Yu Lik-wai and producer Li Kit Ming.[1] With their support, Jia was able to begin work on Xiao Wu, which would become his first feature film. Xiao Wu was shot on a mere 400,000 RMB budget (or about $50,000 US).[1] Xiao Wu proved to be a major success on the international film circuit, and brought him a deal with Takeshi Kitano's production house.[1]

Jia capitalized on his success with Xiao Wu with a string of internationally acclaimed independent features including 2000's Platform, 2002's Unknown Pleasures, and 2004's The World. This despite limited theatrical runs and obscurity in mainland China. In 2004, however, The World became Jia's first film made with official approval by the Chinese government.[2] It was also nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, though it failed to win. This foreshadowed his winning the 2006 Golden Lion award for his film, Still Life.[3]

In 2007, Jia released a second documentary (after 2006's Dong), entitled Useless.

Jia is currently working on two additional projects: the gangster film, Age of Tattoo (刺青时代, Ciqing shidai) which was originally planned to be released in 2007, although filming was delayed after lead Jay Chou pulled out, and Shuang Xionghui, which will be Jia's first historical epic.[4]

Jia Zhangke is also a member of the jury of BigScreen Italia Film Festival 2006, in Kunming, China.

[edit] Themes

Jia's films treat themes of alienated youth, contemporary Chinese history and globalization, as well as his signature usage of the long-take, colorful digital video and his minimalist/realist style. The World, in particular, with its portrayal of gaudy theme park filled with recreations of foreign landmarks is often noted for its critique of globalization of China.[5][6]

Jia's work speaks to a vision of "authentic" Chinese life, and his consistent return to the themes of alienation and disorientation fly in the face of the work of older filmmakers who present more idealized understandings of Chinese society.

Critics have noted that whereas "Fifth Generation" filmmakers such as Zhang Yimou churn out export-friendly and lushly-colored wuxia dramas, Jia, as a "Sixth Generation" filmmaker, rejects the idealization of these narratives in favor of a more nuanced style. His films, from Xiao Wu and Unknown Pleasures to Platform and The World, eschew the son et lumière that characterizes so many contemporary Chinese exports. But the films' recurrent and reflexive use of "pop" motifs ensure that they are more self-aware than the similarly documentarian Chinese films of Jia's Sixth Generation peers. [7]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] As director

Year English Title Chinese Title Notes
1995 Xiao Shan Going Home 小山回家 Short film
1996 Dudu 嘟嘟 Short film
1997 Xiao Wu 小武 Feature film debut; alternatively known as The Pickpocket
2000 Platform 站台
2001 In Public 公共场所 Short film
2002 Unknown Pleasures 任逍遙 FIPRESCI Prize winner at the 2003 Singapore International Film Festival
2004 The World 世界
2006 Still Life 三峡好人 Winner of the 2006 Golden Lion at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival
2006 Dong 东 Documentary
2007 Useless 无用 Documentary
2007 Our Ten Years 我们的十年 Short film
2008 24 City 二十四城
In Production Age of Tattoo 刺青时代 planned
Unknown Shuang xiong hui 双雄会 Planned

[edit] As actor

Year Title Director Role
2002 Overloaded Peking Dominique Musorrafiti, Matteo Damiani Himself
2002 Unknown Pleasures Jia Zhangke Man singing in the street
2006 Karmic Mahjong Wang Guangli

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Lee, Kevin. Jia Zhangke. Senses of Cinema. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
  2. ^ Hu, Brian (2005-02-17). Asia Pacific Arts: Presenting the World. UCLA Asia Institute. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
  3. ^ CBS News Staff (2006-09-06). 'Still Life' Takes Venice's Top Price. CBS News. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
  4. ^ Three Upcoming Projects of Director Jia Zhangke. CriNordic.com (2007-03-23). Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
  5. ^ Rapfogel, Jared (2004-12). Minimalism and Maximalism: The 42nd New York Film Festival. Senses of Cinema. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
  6. ^ Kraicer, Shelly. Lost in Time, Lost in Space: Beijing Film Culture in 2004. Cinema Scope No. 21. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
  7. ^ Chang, Rebecca (2007-09). China's Generation Gap. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Jia Zhangke

Feature films: Xiao Wu (1997) • Platform (2000) • Unknown Pleasures (2002) • The World (2004) • Still Life (2006) • 24 City (2008)
Documentaries: Dong (2006) • Useless (2007)
Short films: Xiao Shan Going Home (1995) • Dudu (1996) • In Public (2001) • Our Ten Years (2007)
v • d • e
Cinema of China