Born in Fenyang, Shanxi, in 1970, Jia Zhangke is the leading director of the Sixth Generation of Chinese cinema, which turned from the epics of Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou to the lives of ordinary people in a rapidly changing country. He began with underground films shot without official approval, such as Xiao Wu (1997) and Platform (2000), and later gained official permission. His films, using non-professional actors and long takes and often starring his wife Zhao Tao, document the effects of China's economic transformation. Still Life (2006) won the Golden Lion at Venice.
Filmography
- Xiao Wu (1997)
- Platform (2000)
- Unknown Pleasures (2002)
- The World (2004)
- Still Life (2006) (2006)
- 24 City (2008)
- I Wish I Knew (2010)
- A Touch of Sin (2013)
- Mountains May Depart (2015)
- Ash Is Purest White (2018)
- Caught by the Tides (2024)