Wang Xiaoshuai

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This is a Chinese name; the family name is Wang.
Wang Xiaoshuai

Born May 22, 1966 (1966-05-22) (age 42)
Flag of the People's Republic of China Shanghai, China
Occupation Director, Screenwriter, Actor

Wang Xiaoshuai (Simplified:王小帅; Traditional:王小帥; pinyin: Wáng Xiăoshuài) (born May 22, 1966) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter and occasional actor. He is commonly grouped under the loose association of filmmakers known as the Sixth Generation or Urban Generation of the Cinema of China.[1]

He also served as a member of the jury of the BigScreen Italia Film Festival 2006, held in Kunming, Yunnan, China.

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[edit] Early life and education

Wang Xiaoshuai was born in 1966 in Shanghai but spent the first thirteen years of his life in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province in southwestern China as a result of upheaval during the Cultural Revolution. While in Guiyang, Wang became interested in and began studying painting.[2] By 1979, he and his family had moved to Wuhan. When he was 15, Wang moved to Beijing where he attended the Central Art Academy Middle School to study painting before eventually studying directing at the Beijing Film Academy.[1]

[edit] Directorial career

After his graduation from the Beijing Film Academy, Wang spent some time working under the PRC studio system before starting out on his own. His first film, The Days (1993), was an independent feature shot on the weekends in Beijing and starring Wang’s friends as two artists. [1] He followed up The Days with Frozen (filmed in 1994, but not released until 1997). Frozen, another foray into the art world of Beijing was made under the pseudonym of "Wu Ming" (literally, "No Name" or "Anonymous"). In contrast to both Frozen and The Days, which both took place in Beijing, Wang’s next film, So Close to Paradise (1997) saw him return to Wuhan to film a story of two migrant workers who become involved in a kidnapping.

Wang followed up Paradise with the family comedy The House in 1999.

Despite the numerous films to his credit at this point, it was not until Beijing Bicycle that Wang rose to truly international success.[1] The winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, Beijing Bicycle wowed critics with its story of a youth's search for his stolen bicycle, particularly with its shades of Vittorio De Sica's 1948 The Bicycle Thieves.

After the success of Beijing Bicycle, Wang made Drifters (2003) which screened at the Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Prix Un Certain Regard, though it failed win any prizes. Shanghai Dreams (2005), however, managed to win Cannes's Prix du Jury award.

2008 saw the premiere of Wang's newest film, In Love We Trust (also known as Left Right) in the Berlin Film Festival. A modern drama about a divorced couple, the film had missed a scheduled showing at both the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Wang's next planned project, 11 Flowers recently won the Pusan Promotion Prize or PPP for $20,000.[3]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] As director

Year English Title Chinese Title Pinyin Notes
1993 The Days 冬春的日子 Dōng chūn de rì zì
1997 Frozen 极度寒冷 Jí dù hán lěng Made under the pseudonym Wu Ming
1998 So Close to Paradise 扁担·姑娘 Biǎn dān, gū niáng Also known as Ruan's Song
1999 The House 梦幻田园 Mèng hùan tián yúan Also known as Suburban Dreams or Fantasy Garden
2001 Beijing Bicycle 十七岁的单车 Shí qī suì de dān chē
2002 "The New Year" Part of the Korean anthology film, After War
2003 Drifters 二弟 Èr dì
2005 Shanghai Dreams 青红 Qīng hóng
2007 In Love We Trust 左右 Zǔo yòu
Planned 11 Flowers

[edit] As actor

Year Title Director Role
1994 Weekend Lover Lou Ye Zhang Chi
1998 The Red Violin François Girard Junior policeman
2004 The World Jia Zhangke
2006 Karmic Mahjong Wang Guangli

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Kochan, Dror (September, 2003). Wang Xiaoshuai. Senses of Cinema. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
  2. ^ Li Xiao and Daragh Moller. A Trip Through Wang Xiaoshuai’s Film World. China.org. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
  3. ^ Schilling, Mark (2007-10-12). Wang wins top prize at PPP closing. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.

[edit] External links

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Films directed by Wang Xiaoshuai

The Days (1993) • Frozen (1997) • So Close to Paradise (1998) • The House (1999) • Beijing Bicycle (2001) • Drifters (2003) • Shanghai Dreams (2005) • In Love We Trust (2008)
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Cinema of China