Jia Zhangke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jia Zhangke
贾樟柯
Jia in 2008
Born	(1970-05-24) 24 May 1970 (age 55) Fenyang, Shanxi, China
Citizenship	China
Education	Beijing Film Academy
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, film producer
Years active	1995–present
Notable work	A Touch of Sin Ash Is Purest White Still Life Mountains May Depart
Style	Minimalism, postmodernism, surrealism, social realism, avant-garde
Movement	Sixth Generation
Spouse(s)	Zhu Jiong (married 1999; divorced 2006) Zhao Tao (married 2012)
Awards	Venice Film Festival – Golden Lion 2006 Still Life Asian Film Awards – Best Director 2006 Still Life Asian Film Awards – Best Screenplay 2015 Mountains May Depart Golden Horse Awards – Best Original Screenplay 2015 Mountains May Depart

Jia Zhangke (贾樟柯, born 24 May 1970) is a famous Chinese film director, screenwriter, and producer. He also acts in some films and writes. He started the Pingyao International Film Festival. He is also a dean at film schools in China.

Jia Zhangke is known as a leader of the "Sixth Generation" of Chinese filmmakers. This group includes directors like Wang Xiaoshuai and Lou Ye.

His first films were made without the government's official approval. These were called "underground" films. Later, starting in 2004, Jia was allowed to make films with state approval. This helped his movies reach more people in China.

Jia's films are praised around the world. He won the top award, the Golden Lion, at the Venice Film Festival for his movie Still Life. He has also received other important awards for his work.

Early Life

Jia Zhangke was born in Fenyang, Shanxi, China. He became interested in movies in the early 1990s. At that time, he was an art student at Shanxi University.

One day, he watched a film called Yellow Earth. Jia said this movie changed his life. It made him want to become a film director. In 1993, Jia went to the famous Beijing Film Academy. He studied film theory there. This gave him a chance to learn about many classic films from different countries.

Career

Early Films

While studying at the Beijing Film Academy, Jia made three short films. These helped him practice his directing skills. His first short film was One Day in Beijing in 1994. It was a short documentary about tourists. He paid for it himself.

Jia felt his first film was simple. But making it was very exciting for him. His second short film, Xiao Shan Going Home (1995), got attention from the film world. This film helped show his unique style and what he liked to make movies about. Jia said this film truly started his career.

Xiao Shan Going Home was shown abroad and won an award. This success connected Jia with cinematographer Yu Lik-wai and producer Li Kit Ming. These two, along with producer/editor Chow Keung, became his main creative team. With their help, Jia started his first full-length movie, Xiao Wu. Before he graduated, Jia made one more short film, Du Du (1996). This film was an experiment for him.

International Success

After graduating, Jia made his first feature film, Xiao Wu. It was about a pickpocket in his hometown of Fenyang. Jia wanted to show the big changes happening in China. He also wanted to make films that showed real life, not just historical stories.

Xiao Wu was made with a small budget. But it became a big hit at film festivals around the world. This success led to a deal with a production company owned by famous director Takeshi Kitano.

Jia then made two more successful independent films. One was Platform. It was about a music group changing from the 1970s to the 1990s. Many people call Platform a masterpiece. The film also starred actress Zhao Tao. She became a main actress in many of Jia's later films.

In 2002, Jia started using digital video for his film Unknown Pleasures. Xiao Wu, Platform, and Unknown Pleasures are sometimes seen as a group of films. They show China's journey into modern times. Even though these films were not widely shown in China, they were very popular internationally.

Wider Recognition

Starting with his 2004 film The World, Jia began to work with official approval from the Chinese government. Many "underground" directors started to work this way. Critics felt that Jia's films still showed his honest view of China. The World was well-received. It was also Jia's first film not set in his home province of Shanxi.

In 2006, Jia continued to use digital film for Still Life. This film won the important Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. This made Jia even more famous both in China and worldwide. The film tells the story of two people looking for their spouses. It is set against the building of the Three Gorges Dam. He also made a documentary called Dong at the same time.

The 2000s were a very busy time for Jia. After Still Life, he made a documentary called Useless. It was about China's clothing factories. He also made 24 City, a film about a factory and the people connected to it. This film showed how much China had changed over 50 years.

His documentary I Wish I Knew (2010) explored the changing city of Shanghai. It was shown at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2013, Jia's film A Touch of Sin was nominated for the top award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. He won the award for Best Screenplay. His 2015 film Mountains May Depart was also nominated for the top award at Cannes.

In 2017, Jia started the Pingyao International Film Festival in Shanxi. In 2024, his new film Caught by the Tides was chosen for the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Style and Themes

Jia's films often explore themes like young people feeling lost. They also look at modern Chinese history and how globalization affects people. He often uses long shots in his films. He also uses colorful digital video and a simple, realistic style.

For example, his film The World shows a theme park with copies of famous landmarks. This film is often seen as a way to show his thoughts on how China is becoming more globalized.

Critics say that Jia's films show a "real" Chinese life. He often shows people feeling lost or confused. This is different from older Chinese filmmakers who sometimes showed a more perfect view of Chinese society.

Jia has said that filmmakers like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Yasujirō Ozu have influenced his work.

Personal Views

In 2011, Jia spoke out against film censorship in China. He said it was like "cultural over-cleanliness." In 2021, when new rules were suggested for actors and TV hosts, Jia again spoke against them. He believes that art should be "eclectic," meaning it should be varied and open.

In December 2023, Jia Zhangke joined over 50 other filmmakers. They signed a letter asking for peace and an end to violence in Gaza. They also asked for help to reach people in Gaza and for hostages to be freed.

Filmography

As director

Feature films

Documentaries

Short films

As actor

As producer

(This list does not include films Jia Zhangke also directed.)

Images for kids

• 

  Jia Zhangke at the 2008 Venice Film Festival

See also

• Xstream Pictures – Jia Zhangke's film production company.
• In Spanish: Jia Zhangke para niños

Works

• Jia Zhangke Speaks Out: The Chinese Film Director's Texts on Film. Piscataway, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2014.