Wu Ziniu

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Wu (surname).
Wu Ziniu
Chinese name 吳子牛 (Traditional)
Chinese name 吴子牛 (Simplified)
Pinyin Wú Zìniú (Mandarin)
Origin People's Republic of China
Born November 3, 1953 (1953-11-03) (age 58)
Leshan, Sichuan
Occupation Film director, screenwriter
Years active 1980s-2000s

Wu Ziniu (born November 3, 1953), is a Chinese film director and a member of the "Fifth Generation" film movement, a movement of filmmakers who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in the early 1980s.[1] Unlike his better-known contemporaries, Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, who made their names with historical dramas, Wu Ziniu is best known for his early war films.[1] His 1985 film on the Sino-Vietnamese War, Dove Tree, was the first film by a Fifth Generation director to be banned by the Chinese government.[1]

Contents

Directorial career

A member of the 1982 graduating class of the Beijing Film Academy, Wu was assigned to the Xiaoxing Film Studio.[1] There he directed four films, including the children's film, The Candidate, the war films Secret Decree and Dove Tree, and the drama, The Last Day of Winter.[1] After The Last Day of Winter, Wu expanded to other studios, working with the August First Film Studio to produce the war film, Evening Bell, which, despite the heavy hand of censorship, managed to win several international awards, including the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.[1][2]

Throughout the late 1980s, Wu would continue to direct films, often highlighting the brutality of war and the effect on civilians, as in 1988's Joyous Heroes and its sequel Between Life and Death.[1] With the 1990s, Wu would draw on foreign capital, primarily from Hong Kong to help produce his historical films Sparkling Fox and The Big Mill.[1]

Filmography

Film
Year English title Chinese title Notes
1983 The Candidate 候补队员 Directorial debut; co-directed with Chen Lu; also known as A Probation Member
1984 Secret Decree 喋血黑谷 Co-directed with Li Jingmin
1985 Dove Tree 鸽子树
1986 The Last Day of Winter 最后一个冬日
1988 Evening Bell 晚钟
Joyous Heroes 欢乐英雄 Also known as To Die Like a Man
Between Life and Death 阴阳界
1990 The Big Mill 大磨坊
1992 Mountains of the Sun 太阳山
1993 Sparkling Fox 火狐 Won an Honourable Mention at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival[3]
1995 Don't Cry, Nanking 南京1937 Also known as Nanking 1937
1999 National Anthem 国歌
2000 The Sino-Dutch War 1661 英雄郑成功 Also known as Hero Zheng Chenggong
2005 Zhenguan Changge 贞观长歌 TV series. Also known as The Story of Zhen Guan

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Taylor & Francis, p. 372. ISBN 0-415-15168-6.
  2. ^ "Berlinale: 1989 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1989/03_preistr_ger_1989/03_Preistraeger_1989.html. Retrieved 2011-03-13. 
  3. ^ "Berlinale: 1994 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1994/03_preistr_ger_1994/03_Preistraeger_1994.html. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 

External links

Xie Jin (1981) · Cheng Yin (1982) · Wu Yigong (1983) · Tang Xiaodan (1984) · Ling Zifeng (1985) · Yan Xueshu (1986) · Ding Yinnan (1987) · Wu Tianming (1988) · Wu Ziniu (1989) · Li Qiankuan/Xiao Guiyun/Xie Tieli/Zhao Yuan (1990) · N/A (1991) · Sun Zhou/director group of Da Juezhan (1992) · Xia Gang (1993) · He Ping (1994) · Huang Jianxin/Yang Yazhou (1995) Wu Tianming (1996) · Wei Lian (1997) · Hu Bingliu/Sai Fu/Mai Lisi (1998) · Zhang Yimou (1999) · Zhang Yimou/Chen Guoxing (2000) · Huo Jianqi (2001) · Yang Yazhou/Chen Kaige (2002) · Zhang Yimou (2003) · Peng Xiaolian (2004) · Ma Liwen (2005) · Qi Jian/Yin Li (2007) · Feng Xiaogang (2009) ·
Beijing Film Academy:
Class of 1982
Chen Kaige (director) · Gu Changwei (cinematographer/director) · He Qun (art director/director) · Hou Yong (cinematographer/director) · Hu Mei (director) · Li Shaohong (director) · Liu Miaomiao (director) · Lü Yue (cinematographer/director) · Ning Ying (director) · Peng Xiaolian (director) · Tian Zhuangzhuang (director) · Wu Ziniu (director) · Xia Gang (director) · Xie Xiaojing (director) · Zhang Jianya (director) · Zhang Junzhao (director) · Zhang Yimou (cinematographer/director) · Zhao Fei (cinematographer)
Associated Figures
He Ping (director) · Huang Jianxin (director) · Sun Zhou (director) · Zhang Zeming (director) · Zhou Xiaowen (director) · Wu Tianming (producer)
Major Works
Our Corner (1980) · One and Eight (1983) · Yellow Earth (1984) · The Horse Thief (1985) · The Black Cannon Incident (1985) · Red Sorghum (1987) · Evening Bell (1988) · Ju Dou (1990) · Raise the Red Lantern (1991) · Farewell My Concubine (1993) · The Blue Kite (1993) · Ermo (1994)