Week 3.1 : Biography of Zhang Yimou and his works

Biography of Zhang Yimou

 Zhang Yimou, (born in April 2, 1950), 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 directional debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum.

Zhang has won numerous awards and recognitions, with Best Foreign Film nominations for Ju Dou in 1990, Raise the Red Lantern in 1991, and Hero in 2003, Silver Lion and Golden Lion prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 1993, he was a member of the jury at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival. Zhang directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, which received considerable international acclaim.

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 To Live (1994) and Not one Less (1999). His films are parcticularly noted for their rich use of colour, as seen in some of his early films, like Raise the Red Lantern, and in his wuxia films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers. His highest budgeted film to date is the 2016 monster film titled The Great Wall, set in Imperial China and starring Matt Damon.

Zhang Yomou's works

As an actor

Year	English title	Chinese title
1986	Old Well	老井
1987	Red Sorghum	红高粱
1989	Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior	古今大战秦俑情
1997	Keep Cool	有话好好说

As Cinematographer

Year	English title	Chinese title
1982	Red Elephant	红象
1983	One and Eight	一个和八个
1984	Yellow Earth	黄土地
1986	Old Well	老井
1986	The Big Parade	大阅兵

As Director

Year	English title	Chinese title
1987	Red Sorghum	红高粱
1988	Codename Cougar	代号美洲豹
1990	Ju Dou	菊豆
1991	Raise the Red Lantern	大红灯笼高高挂
1992	The Story of Qiu Ju	秋菊打官司
1994	To Live	活着
1995	Shanghai Triad	摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥
1995	Zhang Yimou
1997	Keep Cool	有话好好说
1999	Not One Less	一个都不能少
1999	The Road Home	我的父亲母亲
2000	Happy Times	幸福时光
2002	Hero	英雄
2004	House of Flying Daggers	十面埋伏
2005	Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles	千里走单骑
2006	Curse of the Golden Flower	满城尽带黄金甲
2007	Movie Night
2009	A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop	三枪拍案惊奇
2010	Under the Hawthorn Tree	山楂树之恋
2011	The Flowers of War	金陵十三钗
2014	Coming Home	归来
2016	The Great Wall	长城