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Chen Kaige
The director of Farewell My Concubine, the first Chinese film to win the Palme d’Or.
Yellow Earth · Farewell My Concubine
- Born
- 12 August 1952
- Birthplace
- China
More people
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige emerged with China’s Fifth Generation filmmakers. His films connect individual lives with history, often through elaborate imagery and stories about performance or cultural inheritance.
Early life
Beijing family
Grew up with a filmmaker father and screenwriter mother.
Disrupted youth
Experienced the Cultural Revolution before serving in the army.
Career
- 1978–1982
Film school
Studied at the Beijing Film Academy.
- 1984
Feature debut
Directed Yellow Earth, photographed by Zhang Yimou.
- 1993
Cannes breakthrough
Farewell My Concubine shared the Palme d’Or.
- 2002
English-language film
Directed Killing Me Softly.
Selected work
Yellow Earth
A soldier collecting folk songs visits a rural community.
Farewell My Concubine
Two opera performers live through decades of upheaval.
Together
A young violinist and his father navigate ambition and sacrifice.
Beyond work
Artistic exchange
Held an Asian Cultural Council fellowship and visited New York University.
Film family
Married actor Chen Hong, who also became a producer.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Cannes: Farewell My Concubine ↗Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson. CC BY 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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