JIA ZhangKe

Chinese director, producer

Jia Zhangke, born in 1970 in Fengyang, Shanxi Province of China, attended the Beijing Film Academy in 1993. He has directed eleven feature-length films and numerous short films since 1998. His major works include Xiao Wu (1998), Platform (2000), In Public (2001), Unknown Pleasures (2002), The World (2004), Dong (2006), Still Life (2006), Useless (2007), 24 City (2008), I wish I knew (2010), A touch of Sin (2013), and Mountains May Depart (2015).

 

In 1998, Jia’s debut feature film, Xiao Wu, won the International Forum of New Cinema at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2006, his Still Life received the Golden Lion Award at the 63rd Venice International Film And in 2013, A Touch of Sin, won the award for Best Screenplay at the 66th Cannes International Film Festival.

 

In 2007, Jia Zhangke was selected as one of the Young Global Leaders at World Economic Forum. In 2009, he was named Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. In 2010, Jia was awarded “Directors of the Decade” at Toronto International Film Festival and received the Leopard of Honor of the 63rd Festival del film Locarno. In the following year, he was presented with the Prince Claus Award by the Dutch ambassador. In 2013, Foreign Policy Magazine named JIa as one of the 100 Leading Global Thinkers. In 2015, Jia was ranked eighth best of all time Asian cinema directors in the 20th Busan International Film Festival, and was awarded with Carrosse d’Or during the 68th Cannes International Film Festival.

 

In 2007, Jia Zhangke was the jury president for Cinéfondation and Short Films at the 60th Cannes International Film Festival, and a jury member for the main competition. In 2011, he was the jury president for the Horizons section at Venice International Film Festival. In 2014, Jia was a jury member for the main competition at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival. In 2016, he was a jury member for the Official Selection at San Sebastian Film Festival. Currently Jia is the vice president of CISAC, the vice president of China Film Directors’ Guild, and the director of the Shanghai Vancouver Film School. He also launched JiaScreen, a video platform which introduces short films from around the world to China.

 

In 2007, Jia won Best Director for Still Life at the 1st Asian Film Awards, and 2016, he won Best Screenwriter for Mountains May Depart at the 10th Asian Film Awards.