Zhang Yimou

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.

Works

The Grand Mansion Gate

This Chinese period drama series follows the fortunes of a prominent merchant family engaged in Traditional Chinese Medicine during the waning years of the Ching dynasty. The affairs of this family of doctors/pharmacists (which in those days were one and the same) are intimately linked with social upheavals of the time such as the encroachment of Christian missionaries and foreign imperialism as well as conflicts that inevitably emerge in a large upper class family. Comparable in scope and production value to such recent titles as "Downton Abbey", the lives and character of both masters and servants intertwine in plot lines that spans more than a generation.

Release Date2001-04-14

Charactersd 李莲英

Episode Count40

Vote Count14

Red Sorghum

An old leper who owned a remote sorghum winery dies. Jiu'er, the wife bought by the leper, and her lover, identified only as "my Grandpa" by the narrator, take over the winery and set up an idealized quasi-matriarchal community headed by Jiu'er. When the Japanese invaders subject the area to their rule and cut down the sorghum to make way for a road, the community rises up and resists as the sorghum grows anew.

Release Date1988-10-10

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Charactersd

Vote Count228

A Terra-Cotta Warrior

An awakened immortal warrior struggles between defending the emperor and the actress he believes to be his love of old.

Release Date1989-12-18

Charactersd General Meng Tianfang

Vote Count29

My Country, My Parents

This anthology drama presents four short films honoring Chinese families, spotlighting the struggles of key groups across four pivotal eras: the revolution, construction, reform and opening up, and the new era, while highlighting their perseverance, dedication to ideals, and commitment to passing on the national spirit through generations.

Release Date2021-09-30

Charactersd TV Station Director (segment "Duck Prophet")

Vote Count24

Keep Cool

China, the 1990s. A young bookseller is in love with a woman. The woman is now with another guy, a rich man. The rich man sends his people to beat the bookseller. In the fight, the laptop computer from a man looking at the scene gets broken. Who will pay for the computer? The bookseller wants revenge. Will it be useful? The bookseller and the laptop owner are from different ages and classes. They are two different points of view, two different Chinas. How will they fight for justice?

Release Date1997-09-02

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Charactersd Poet Reader

Vote Count56

Celebrity Talk Show

Release Date1989-03-10

Charactersd 张艺谋

Episode Count1

Vote Count1

The Big Parade

Army volunteers train for places in China's 1984 National Day parade, where they are expected to be a perfect marching unit.

Release Date1986-11-20

DepartmentCamera

JobDirector of Photography

Charactersd

Vote Count6

A Documentary About The Movie One Second

Release Date2020-11-17

Charactersd Himself

Vote Count1

Old Well

A married village worker teams up with an old girlfriend to try to dig a well for his water-starved village. The well collapses and they are trapped. Their enforced confinement leads to them exploring their feelings for each other and those around them.

Release Date1987-11-21

DepartmentCamera

JobDirector of Photography

Charactersd 孙旺泉

Vote Count15

Cause: The Birth of Hero

The movie follows director Zhang Yimou as he is preparing to make the movie Hero.

Release Date2002-12-05

Charactersd Himself

Vote Count2

激荡·1978-2008

Release Date2008-12-01

DepartmentCreator

JobCreator

Charactersd

Episode Count[ 31 ]

Vote Count1

Golden Horse Awards

The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards (Chinese: 台北金馬影展; pinyin: Táiběi Jīnmǎ Yǐngzhǎn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-pak Kim-má iáⁿ-tián) is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is usually held in November or December in Taipei, although the event has also been held in other locations in Taiwan in recent times

Release Date1962-10-31

Charactersd Self

Episode Count1

Bergman: A Year in a Life

The year 1957 was one of the most prolific for the Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman: he shot two films, released two of his most celebrated films and produced four plays and a TV movie while juggling with a complicated private life.

Release Date2018-07-12

Charactersd Self

Vote Count39

Zhang Yimou's "Shadow"

Documentary about the making of Zhang Yimou's fiction movie Shadow.

Release Date2018-10-12

Charactersd Self

The 40th Anniversary of Chinese Film Since China's Reform and Opening-Up

Documentary about China's film industry and the monumental changes in the past 40 years from beginning with propaganda films to the "5th generation" filmmakers and beyond, who embraced art and commercial films to make China the second largest box office market in the world after Hollywood.

Release Date2018-11-19

Charactersd Self

Episode Count9

Trespassing Bergman

In the sixties, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) built a house on the remote island of Fårö, located in the Baltic Sea, and left Stockholm to live there. When he died, the house was preserved. A group of very special film buffs, came from all over the world, travel to Fårö in search of the genius and his legacy. (An abridged version of Bergman's Video, 2012.)

Release Date2013-08-28

Charactersd Self

Vote Count27

Big Fish in China

Recording of the documentary 'Big Fish in China', a film looking at the work and life of Zhang Yimou, one of China's most famous film directors, and his leading lady and partner, Gong Li.

Release Date1994-10-05

Charactersd Self

Secrets Within: Inside Look at 'Curse of the Golden Flower'

Behind the scenes look at the making of Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower".

Release Date2007-03-27

Charactersd Self

Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang

Known for his spectacular pyrotechnic displays, Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang creates his most ambitious project yet: Sky Ladder, a visionary, explosive event that he pulls off in his hometown in China after 20 years of failed attempts.

Release Date2017-09-22

Charactersd Self

Vote Count20

'Hero' Defined: A Look at the Epic Masterpiece

Release Date2004-11-30

Charactersd Self

Lumière & Company

40 international directors were asked to make a short film using the original Cinematographe invented by the Lumière Brothers, working under conditions similar to those of 1895. There were three rules: (1) The film could be no longer than 52 seconds, (2) no synchronized sound was permitted, and (3) no more than three takes.

Release Date1995-12-20

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Charactersd Self

Vote Count68

Making of House of Flying Daggers

Main Characters/Performers: 1. Xiao Mei - first appearing as new star dancer in lavish Peony Pavilion brothel, Mei is believed to be the blind daughter of a rebel group's recently assassinated leader- played by Zhang Ziyi . 2. Jin - police captain in the ruling Tang emperor's service, enlisted by his superior Leo to play the role of double agent by helping Mei escape and getting her to lead him - and government troops - to the rebel stronghold - played by Takeshi Kaneshiro. 3. Leo - introduced as a high ranking policeman in the Tang emperor's service, Leo turns out to a mole planted years earlier by the rebels working to overthrow the corrupt ruling Tang government - played by Andy Lau.

Release Date2004-12-31

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Charactersd Self

Vote Count6

Behind the Opening Ceremony: The Director's Cut

This riveting, behind-the-scenes look reveals the massive project to create the opening spectacle for Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympics. Set in the iconic 'Bird's Nest,' the story is told in the words of key figures involved, including director Zhang Yimou.

Release Date2022-02-04

Charactersd Self

Episode Count2

Vote Count1

奥运档案

Release Date2009-01-05

Charactersd Self

Episode Count11

Curse of the Golden Flower

During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as his wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

Release Date2006-12-14

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count786

The Flowers of War

A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.

Release Date2011-12-15

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count859

To Live

Married couple Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in mid-20th century mainland China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.

Release Date1994-05-18

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count350

Hero

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.

Release Date2002-07-22

DepartmentWriting

JobAuthor

Vote Count2394

The Great Wall

European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.

Release Date2016-12-16

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count5401

Full River Red

During China's Song Dynasty, a mysterious murder occurs at Chancellor Quin Hui's palace after meeting delegates from the neighboring Jin Dynasty. The members become embroiled not just in a murder mystery, but a larger conspiracy concerning the fate of the empire.

Release Date2023-01-22

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count165

The Road Home

Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.

Release Date1999-10-16

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count218

Article 20

Tells the story of prosecutor Han Ming who is involved in a difficult case where the intentional injury of people is turned into a legitimate defense.

Release Date2024-02-10

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count49

Suddenly Seventeen

When Liang Xia's obsession for a perfect wedding puts a strain in the relationship with her fiancé, he ultimately calls it quits and breaks up with her. In a heartbroken state, Liang Xia carelessly ingests a magical item, which transports the 28-year-old’s mind back to when she was only seventeen years old.

Release Date2016-12-09

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Vote Count33

Not One Less

Set in the People's Republic of China during the 1990s, the film centers on a 13-year-old substitute teacher, Wei Minzhi, in the Chinese countryside. Called in to substitute for a village teacher for one month, Wei is told not to lose any students.

Release Date1999-10-30

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count185

One Second

A movie fan escapes from a labour camp during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and strikes up a relationship with a homeless female vagabond.

Release Date2020-11-27

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count113

Coming Home

Lu and Feng are a devoted couple forced to separate when Lu is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner during the Cultural Revolution. He finally returns home only to find that his beloved wife no longer remembers him.

Release Date2014-05-16

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count201

Under the Hawthorn Tree

The daughter of a right-winger, schoolgirl Jing Qiu is sent to the countryside for reeducation, and tasked to help write a textbook. There she meets Lao San, a young soldier with a bright future ahead. Despite the class divide and parental disapproval, romance blooms against turbulent times.

Release Date2010-09-16

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count149

Shanghai Triad

Shanghai, China, 1930. When young Shuisheng arrives from the countryside, his uncle Liushu puts him at the service of Bijou, the mistress of Laoda, supreme boss of the Tang Triad, constantly threatened by his enemies, both those he knows and those lurking in the shadows.

Release Date1995-09-14

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count102

Ju Dou

Tianqing falls in love with Ju Dou, his uncle's wife who is tortured for being childless. However, after they have an affair, they discover that his uncle is impotent and try to conceal the truth.

Release Date1990-04-21

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count169

Lady of the Dynasty

The tragic story of a Tang Dynasty imperial consort who was the favorite of the Emperor Xuanzong.

Release Date2015-07-30

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count21

Zhang Yimou's Three-Body Problem Movie

Based on the novel.

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Snipers

The story of sharpshooter Zhang Taofang, a young army recruit who at age 22 sets a record during the Korean War by reportedly killing or wounding 214 American soldiers with 435 shots in just 32 days.

Release Date2022-02-01

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count42

My People, My Homeland

In different parts of rural China, various people explore what makes their communities unique.

Release Date2020-10-01

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Vote Count40

House of Flying Daggers

In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

Release Date2004-08-03

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count1733

The Great Conqueror's Concubine

Insurrection deposes the tyrannical first emperor of China during the evil Qin Dynasty. Warrior/general Xiang Yu and the cunning peasant Liu Pang join forces to win through civil war. Xiang Yu's weakness for Lady Yu combine with Liu Pang's treachery result in Liu founding the legendary Han dynasty

Release Date1994-06-04

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Vote Count6

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop

Wang is a gloomy, cunning and avaricious noodle shop owner in a desert town in China. His neglected, sharp-tongued wife is involved in a secret affair with Li, one of Wang’s employees. A timid man, Li reluctantly keeps the gun his lover has bought to kill her husband. But Wang is watching their every move. He bribes patrol officer Zhang to murder the illicit couple. It seems like a perfect plan: the affair will come to a cruel, bloody but satisfying end or so he thinks. The equally wicked Zhang has an agenda of his own. As the plot twists, more blood will flow, and ever greater violence will erupt.

Release Date2009-12-11

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count81

Yellow Earth

A communist soldier is sent to a remote region of China in order to collect folk songs. Staying with a peasant family (a widower with two small children), he discovers a community whose way of life is completely alien to him, but he gradually wins their trust…

Release Date1984-08-19

DepartmentCamera

JobDirector of Photography

Vote Count57

Under the Light

Officers Su Jianming and Li Huilin investigate a crime involving wealthy businessman Li Zhitian. As clues emerge, the investigation becomes more and more like a game of chess.

Release Date2023-09-28

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count37

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

Takada, a Japanese fisherman has been estranged from his son for many years, but when the son is diagnosed with terminal cancer his daughter-in-law, Rie, summons him to the hospital. Through a series of obstacles and relationships, he is brought unexpectedly closer to both an understanding of himself and of his son.

Release Date2005-12-22

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count89

The First Shot

In 1997, before the anti-drug bureau was established, Halan City in Northeast China formed a temporary elite team to tackle a sudden drug crisis. Despite their skills, they are unfamiliar with new drugs and must confront ruthless traffickers and devious smuggling methods while grappling with moral dilemmas and the tests of justice and humanity. United by their courage and determination, they create a stirring legend of fighting crime and corruption.

Release Date2024-09-03

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Episode Count32

Vote Count7

Code Name: Cougar

A commercial airliner on a routine flight between Taipei and Seoul is hijacked and taken to mainland China by the Taiwan Revolutionary Army Front. Chinese authorities cannot seize the plane because of the presence of an important business figure on board, but agree to cooperate with Taiwanese authorities to defuse the tense situation.

Release Date1989-11-29

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count11

Happy Times

Zhao is an old laid-off worker who's dreaming of getting married. After trying unsuccessful proposals, he finally pairs off with a gargantuan divorcée with two children. She, however, demands a lavish wedding and that Zhao finds a job and another place to stay for her blind step-daughter. Pretending he's the General Manager of a non-existent posh hotel "Happy Times", Zhao has to find ways and means of keeping both mother and stepdaughter happy.

Release Date2000-12-31

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count55

Raise the Red Lantern

In 1920s China, 19-year-old Songlian becomes a concubine of a powerful lord and is forced to compete with his three wives for the privileges gained.

Release Date1991-12-18

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count770

The Red Elephant

In the southwest frontiers of China there lie many luxuriant forests where live a great variety of plants and animals. Three kids of Daizu minority is told by a granny that a red elephant which is the symbol of God lives in the forest so in a summer vacation they go into the forest to look for the elephant and finally they discover the secret of the elephant.

Release Date1982-07-15

DepartmentCamera

JobDirector of Photography

Vote Count1

Cliff Walkers

In the puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s, four Communist party special agents, after returning to China, embark on a secret mission. Sold out by a traitor, the team find themselves surrounded by threats on all sides.

Release Date2021-04-30

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count103

Shadow

In a kingdom ruled by a young and unpredictable king, the military commander has a secret weapon: a shadow, a look-alike who can fool both his enemies and the King himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan that will lead his people to victory in a war that the King does not want.

Release Date2018-09-30

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count426

Scare Out

After a critical intelligence leak, a national security unit launches an intensive investigation. But successive setbacks in their arrest operations reveal a shocking truth: the trail leads back to within the unit itself. Amidst a storm of trust and betrayal, a silent battle begins to unfold...

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

One And Eight

Director Zhang Junzhao's superbly tense revisionist war film (featuring striking cinematography from future Fifth Generation standard bearer Zhang Yimou) is widely considered to be the first work of Mainland Fifth Generation cinema.

Release Date1983-01-01

DepartmentCamera

JobDirector of Photography

Vote Count9

图兰朵：法兰西体育场

Release Date2005-12-08

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Sunshine Thief

It tells the story of Lu Fei helping a parent find out why his child wanted to commit suicide, but discovered many doubts. Through unremitting efforts to find out the truth, he finally saved lives and families lingering on the verge of tragedy.

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

To Each His Own Cinema

Commissioned to mark the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, "To Each His Own Cinema" brought together 33 of the world's pre-eminent filmmakers to produce short pieces exploring the multifarious facets of cinema and their perspective on the state of their chosen artform in the early 21st century.

Release Date2007-10-31

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count149

The Story of Qiu Ju

When her husband is kicked in the groin by the village head, Qiu Ju, a peasant woman, despite her pregnancy, travels to a nearby town, and later a big city to deal with its bureaucrats and find justice.

Release Date1992-08-31

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count153

Beijing 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony

The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (UTC+8) on August 8, 2008, as 8 is considered to be a lucky number in Chinese culture. Featuring more than 15,000 performers, the ceremony lasted over four hours and cost over $100 million USD to produce.

Release Date2008-08-08

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count34

Puccini: Turandot at the Forbidden City of Beijing

Turandot at the Forbidden City is a 1998 live production of Puccini's opera Turandot directed by Zhang Yimou. The opera was performed by Giovanna Casolla, Audrey Stottler, and Sharon Sweet alternating as Princess Turandot; Kristján Jóhannsson, Sergej Larin and Lando Bartolini as Calàf; and Barbara Frittoli, Angela-Maria Blasi and Barbara Hendricks as Liù, with Zubin Mehta conducting the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

Release Date1999-04-13

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count2

Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony of the XIII Paralympic Winter Games, held in Beijing, China at 4 March 2022.

Release Date2022-03-04

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Forced Take-off

Two-part TV film made by Chen Kaige for Air Force Political Department Drama Troupe.

Release Date1984-12-01

DepartmentCrew

JobCinematography

Beijing 2008 Olympic Closing Ceremony

Release Date2008-08-24

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count5

Dragon Town Story

A woman works with an assassin to get revenge upon the man who murdered her family nine years earlier.

Release Date1997-11-13

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Vote Count7

Beijing 2022 Olympic Opening Ceremony

On February 4, 2022, the opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympic Games was held at the Beijing National Stadium.

Release Date2022-02-04

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count7

主角

Yi Qin'e is taken to the cultural troupe by her uncle Hu Sanyuan to learn to sing Qinqiang Opera. From then on, her life unfolds with ups and downs. She achieves glorious artistic accomplishments, yet also experiences a profound sense of loneliness beyond ordinary people's comprehension.

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Episode Count1

60th Anniversary Of Founding Of The People's Republic Of China

Release Date2009-10-01

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Beijing 2022 Olympics Closing Ceremony

On February 20, 2022, the closing ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympic Games was held at the Beijing National Stadium.

Release Date2022-02-20

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count2

Beijing 2022

Shot over more than two years, the official film of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing goes behind the scenes to share the stories of international and Chinese athletes, volunteers, medical personnel and officials - against the backdrop of a global pandemic.

Release Date2023-04-22

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

最忆是杭州

Release Date2016-09-04

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count1

Cliff Walkers 2

The sequel to Cliff Walkers. Plot TBA.

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Stories Through 180 Lenses

Directed by award winning filmmaker, Zhang Yimou, ninety percent of the film consists of footage shot over six months by 2,000 children using 180 camcorders distributed among 72 schools in Cangxi country in Sichuan Province. The documentary was made as part of Porsche China's fifth anniversary of Empowering the Future Programme and part of its collaboration with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education to improve the quality of education for children in the remotest parts of the country through Mobile Education Training and Resource Units (METRU)

Release Date2014-10-09

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector