One of the leaders of the Sixth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, whose films have been described by Martin Scorsese as "the finest, toughest, most vitally alive work in modern moviemaking," Jia Zhangke (born 1970) studied at the Beijing Film Academy. His feature debut, Xiao Wu, earned the prestigious Dragons and Tigers Prize at the 1997 Vancouver Film Festival, starting a cascade of praise and awards that included Venice’s Golden Lion, Cannes’s Best Screenplay, and inclusion in the competition for Cannes’s Palme d’Or (for Ash Is Purest White in 2018 and Caught by the Tides in 2024). In 2017 Jia and Marco Müller cofounded the Pingyao International Film Festival in Shanxi Province, which continues to this day.
Called by A.O. Scott "one of the most inventive and engaged directors of the 21st century," Jia has managed to work independently, often with international financing. He was an early adopter of HD video, allowing him greater creative freedom from the more restrictive state-sanctioned film studios. Jia's films reflect a contemporary China in constant change. Working in narrative and documentary, he creates works that center on the tension between tradition and globalization and present a remarkable chronicle of China’s recent history.
In residence at the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, Jia participates in a series of post-screening conversations with Berkeley faculty members and other scholars. See BAMPFA for more details and to purchase tickets.
In Conversation with Michael Berry (UCLA)
Caught by the Tides (2024)
Thursday, November 7, 2024 | 7 pm
Xiao Wu (1997)
Friday, November 8, 2024 | 3 pm
Platform (2000)
Friday, November 8, 2024 | 7 pm
In Conversation with Weihong Bao (Film & Media, UC Berkeley)
Still Life (2006)
Saturday, November 9, 2024 | 3 pm
In Conversation with Andrew Jones (East Asian Languages & Cultures, UC Berkeley)
Unknown Pleasures (2002)
Saturday, November 9, 2024 | 7pm
In Conversation with Michael Nylan (History, UC Berkeley)
I Wish I Knew (2010)
Sunday, November 10, 2024 | 2:30 pm
In Conversation with Daniel O'Neill (East Asian Languages & Cultures, UC Berkeley)
A Touch of Sin (2013)
Sunday, November 10, 2024 | 6:30 pm
In Conversation with Iggy Cortez (Film & Media, UC Berkeley)
Ash Is Purest White (2018)
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | 7 pm
