Contents
Jia Zhangke
Still Life, Platform and films about people living through China’s rapid transformation.
Platform · Still Life
- Born
- 24 May 1970
- Birthplace
- Fenyang, China
More people
Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke uses ordinary lives, changing landscapes and popular culture to examine modern China. His films move between documentary observation and fiction.
Early life
Shanxi upbringing
Grew up in Fenyang and initially studied art.
Film education
Seeing Yellow Earth encouraged him towards filmmaking; he entered the Beijing Film Academy in 1993.
Career
- 1990s
Independent beginnings
Made shorts at film school before his first feature Xiao Wu.
- 2000–2004
Wider recognition
Platform and The World expanded the reach of his social dramas.
- 2006
Venice recognition
Still Life won the Golden Lion.
- 2017
Festival founder
Established the Pingyao International Film Festival.
Selected work
Platform
A provincial performance troupe experiences economic and cultural change.
Still Life
Separated families search for one another around the Three Gorges construction project.
A Touch of Sin
Four stories connect violence with social tensions.
Beyond work
Creative partnership
His wife Zhao Tao is a frequent leading actor in his films.
Public debate
Has spoken against restrictive film censorship and defended artistic diversity.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Cannes: Jia Zhangke film pressbook ↗Photo: Christopher Adams. CC BY 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
