Jia zhangke born 24 may 1970 is a chinese film director and screenwriter. Jan 20, 2008 jia zhangke, the director of still life, looks at his country and sees an enormous, rapidly changing movie set. During the 63rd venice film festival last month, chinese. Mainland chinese director jia zhangkes still life aka sanxia haoren, a last minute entry into the 2006 venice film festival, eventually won the golden lion award thanks to its topnotch cinematography and wonderful storytelling. There is something about a onering circus or a rundown theme park that appeals to me. In his 2006 film, still life, jia zhangke creates an. The twodisc edition of the film includes jia zhangke s documentary dong 68 mins, filmed simultaneously at the time of still life. Jia zhangke s short film for greenpeace east asia depicts the effects of air pollution in northeast china, a region frequently blanketed in dangerous levels of air pollution. 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, lou ye, wang quanan and zhang yuan. In his 2006 film, still life, jia zhangke creates an enigmatic case study of alienation and displacement. There are no english subtitles however for this film, which appears to focus on a local painter liu xiaodong and some of the models he uses from among the local population, including han sanming, who appears in. Still life, winner golden lion, venice film festival 2006, is an empathetic portrait of those left behind by a modernizing society and, as in director jia zhangke s earlier films platform, unknown pleasures, the world, it is a unique hybrid of documentary and fiction. Dec 09, 2008 jia is a great director, and much of still lifes power comes from the way he depicts his characters moving through the landscape an environment of crowded ferries, collapsed buildings, small.
Through the use of space, both literal and figurative, and long, extended takes that expand the perception of time zhangke tells the story. Jia zhangkes still life 2006 stands somewhat at the intersection of the directors earlier, more distinctly fictional, narrative films, and with his more recent, documentary style releases. Zhangke jia was born on may 24, 1970 in fenyang, shanxi, china. Once on the lido in venice, out of season, i was one of nine people in the audience as an old lady in spangles rode around the ring on a discouraged pony. Workers past is wiped away in jia zhangkes film the. A long and melancholy summation of better movies the brilliant jia zhangke has made before, ash is purest white finds chinas most prominent filmmaker wistfully replaying the. Jia zhangkes ash is purest white is a frustrating epic.
I ate sugarcoated peanuts and wept inside, perhaps from joy. Good people of the three gorges is a 2006 chinese film directed by jia zhangke. During the 63rd venice film festival last month, chinese mainland director jia zhangke walked away. Jia is a great director, and much of still lifes power comes from the way he depicts his characters moving through the landscape an environment of crowded ferries, collapsed buildings, small. Uncertainty is at the stem of jia zhangke s still life and it molds itself into many forms uncertainty as to what chinas economic boom holds for its future, displaced people uncertain whether they will ever see those they have lost again, and uncertainty over whether love that is broken uncertainty is at the stem of jia zhangke s still life and it molds itself into many forms. Jia zhangkes hyperlink portrayal of the effects of urbanization on rural china is made beautiful by sweeping camera movements and lingering shots of contemporary life. Labeled a member of the sixth generation of directors, jia zhangke gained wide international acclaim. Jia zhangke, the director of still life, looks at his country and sees an enormous, rapidly changing movie set. More recently, jia has tackled the true crime genre with the propulsive a touch of sin 20 and attempted a fullblown emotional epic in the form. In still life, his figures interact against one of his most evocative landscapes. With eddie marsan, joanne froggatt, karen drury, andrew buchan. During the 63rd venice film festival last month, chinese mainland director jia zhangke walked away with this years gold lion award for best movie with still life.
Jia zhangke on ash is purest white, his most expensive film. Joanne froggatt and eddie marsan in still life h ere is a sombre, sympathetically observed, if finally sentimental movie from italian filmmaker uberto pasolini, known for producing the full monty. Compare the teenagers mimicry of a tarantino bit in unknown pleasures with sanmings bonding with a fellow worker wang hongwei over a chow yunfat impression and it becomes clear how a movie. A miner and a nurse face lifechanging choices when they return to their chinese village. Jan 31, 2008 jia zhangke s still life, a deeply felt and quietly impressive film, was the winner of the golden lion at last years venice film festival, and features the superb and elegant actress zhao tao. A council case worker looks for the relatives of those found dead and alone. Still life is a coproduction between the shanghai film studio and xstream pictures. Kraicer even goes on to say that those looking to find support for an ambivalent interior critique of the concomitant pleasures and dangers of turning cinema itself into a series of tantalizingly consumable items could do worse than start here. Jia zhangkes still life, a deeply felt and quietly impressive film, was the winner of the golden lion at last years venice film festival, and. Still life is actually in many ways a depiction of lives frequently in flux. Anyone following the early films of jia zhangke would have pegged the mainland chinese wunderkind as a realist, fixated on the gritty textures and languid rhythms of provincial life.
Its all a question of architecture, of creation against destruction, of space in a big country, of small details pointing to monuments, of people and objects interleaving themselves from afar. Shen hong, and all the others surrounding them, as full, lovely people who have become mere cogs in the wheel of timeeven in the opening. Still life interweaves the story of a miner han sanming who travels thousands of miles to a town near the yangtze river to look for his ex. He finally got state approval with the world shijie, 2004 and then worldwide recognition with still life sanxia haoren, 2006, which won the golden lion. Popculture references may still be the main point of departure for several of the characters, but theres now a positive element to jias view. Jias early films, a loose trilogy based in his home province of shanxi, were made outside of chinas state. A man and woman visit the town to locate their estranged spouses, and become witness to the societal changes. A world of infinite rubble, halfdemolished buildings and a grayblue river splitting the city in two, the presentation is enhanced by the introduction of a series of incongruous. Oct 24, 2006 during the 63rd venice film festival last month, chinese mainland director jia zhangke walked away with this years gold lion award for best movie with still life. 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. Han sanming, tao zhao, li zhu bing, hongwei wang director. Ash is purest white, the english title of jia zhangkes exquisite and ferocious new movie, references a conversation between a woman, qiao zhao tao, and her boyfriend, bin liao fan, as. Ash is purest white, the english title of jia zhangkes exquisite and ferocious new movie, references a conversation between a woman, qiao zhao. Jia zhangkes still life to speak about what we dont know poor theory is both daunting and exhilarating.
Zhangke jia celebrity profile check out the latest zhangke jia photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes. Dong, shown in toronto, is a companion piece to still life, which won the venice festival this year and was belatedly added to the toronto lineup, but neither still life nor dong is in nyff. Uncertainty is at the stem of jia zhangkes still life and it molds itself into many forms uncertainty as to what chinas economic boom holds for its future, displaced people uncertain whether they will ever see those they have lost again, and uncertainty over whether love that is broken uncertainty is at the stem of jia zhangkes still life and it molds itself into. While there is a plot and characters, this picture also captures a specific moment in time and records a pronounced and profound shift in the chinese landscape and the culture around the three gorges. Jia zhangkes still life is a prime example of the effectiveness of observational filmmaking and how the weight of the subject alone and its themes can. As with other films by jia zhangke some of the best include platform, the world 2004, and 24 city 2008, there are moments of art film whimsey. There is a poignancy in the shabbiness of their glory. Jia zhangke, a leading member of chinas sixth generation of filmmakers, started off in the 1990s making underground films, without government support or authorization. See the full list of still life cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. May 11, 2018 a long and melancholy summation of better movies the brilliant jia zhangke has made before, ash is purest white finds chinas most prominent filmmaker wistfully replaying the hits in order. A town in fengjie county is gradually being demolished and flooded to make way for the three gorges dam. Still life maybe doesnt have the budget and bright aesthetics of jia zhangke later epics, it doesnt prevent it from being absolutely beautiful. He has been married to tao zhao since january 7, 2012. Festival programming is always a matter of timing, taste, desperation, politics and logistics, not to mention worthiness.
Jia occasionally intercuts these with snippets of informational text e. Jia zhangke has been at the forefront of chinas indie cinema movement for two decades, with titles that have included still life, platform, and a touch of sin. Insights of the actors and on the places of his movies. Although it probably wont be immediate so the scores on each site have time to settle and arent overly influenced by the early, usually much more opinionated, users. Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your watchlist and. Jia zhangke s still life 2006 stands somewhat at the intersection of the directors earlier, more distinctly fictional, narrative films, and with his more recent, documentary style releases. Shot in the old village of fengjie, a small town on the yangtze river which is slowly being destroyed by the building of the three gorges dam, still life tells the story of two people in search of their spouses.
More recently, jia has tackled the true crime genre with the propulsive a touch of sin 20 and attempted a full blown emotional epic in the form. It was worth the wait for jia zhangkes i wish i knew. Chinese characters and their english translation for cigarettes, liquor, toffee, and tea appear on screen. Reflections on transformation of chinese society, towns, family, the cultural revolution and globalization americanization. While there is a plot and characters, this picture also captures a specific moment in time and records a pronounced and profound shift in the chinese landscape and the culture around the three. Ranking all of director jia zhangkes movies cinema. Labeled a member of the sixth generation of directors, jia. Shot in the old village of fengjie, a small town on the yangtze river which is slowly being destroyed by the building of the three gorges dam, still life tells the story of two people in. Jia zhangke s still life is a prime example of the effectiveness of observational filmmaking and how the weight of the subject alone and its themes can not only propel but impact the drama forward. Still life, winner golden lion, venice film festival 2006, is an empathetic portrait of those left behind by a modernizing society and, as in director jia zhangkes earlier films platform, unknown pleasures, the world, it is a unique hybrid of documentary and fiction. Jia zhangke by walter salles 2014 watch hot english. Jia and two collaborators, sun jianmin and guan na, still life unfolds as a series of minor events and incidental bits and pieces with little obvious connective tissue.
715 348 557 1370 617 1381 1059 1416 10 1083 836 580 1208 566 1406 879 1525 166 683 389 644 487 1382 947 1025 445 988 1386 242 627 433 1114 1373