Zhang Yimou

Biography

Zhang Yimou (born November 14, 1950 or 1951)  is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. He is counted amongst the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum. Zhang has won numerous awards and recognitions, with Best Foreign Film nominations for Ju Dou in 1990 and Raise the Red Lantern in 1991, Silver Lion and Golden Lion prizes at the Venice Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. One of Zhang's recurrent themes is the resilience of Chinese people in the face of hardship and adversity, a theme which has been explored in such films as, for example, To Live (1994) and Not One Less (1999). His films are particularly noted for their rich use of colour, as can be seen in some of his early films, like Raise the Red Lantern, and in his wuxia films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers.

Known For

Red Sorghum

Keep Cool

as Poet Reader

Bergman: A Year in a Life

as Self

Trespassing Bergman

as Self

A Terra-Cotta Warrior

as General Meng Tianfang

My Country, My Parents

as TV Station Director (segment "Duck Prophet")

Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang

as Self

Old Well

The Grand Mansion Gate

as 李莲英

Making of House of Flying Daggers

as Self