BIOGRAPHY
Ziang Ke Jia, born 1970 in Fenyang, Shanxi, China, is a Chinese film director. He is generally regarded as a leading figure of the "Sixth Generation" movement of Chinese cinema, a group that also includes such figures as Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Yuan.
In the mid-1990s, Jia remained an unknown, one student among many in China's prestigious Beijing Film Academy. While still in school, Jia directed the short film "Xiao Shan Going Home" which Jia eventually was able to screen abroad where it won a top prize at the 1997 Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Awards. This success brought Jia in contact with cinematographer Yu Lik-wai and producer Li Kit. With their support, Jia was able to begin work on "Xiao Wu", which would become his first feature film. "Xiao Wu" was shot on about $50,000 US budget. "Xiao Wu" proved to be a major success on the international film circuit, and brought him a deal with Takeshi Kitano's production house. Jia capitalized on his success with "Xiao Wu" with a string of internationally acclaimed independent features including 2000's "Platform", 2002's "Unknow Pleasures", and 2004's "The World". This despite limited theatrical runs and obscurity in mainland China. In 2004, however, "The World" became Jia's first film made with official approval by the Chinese government. It was also nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, though it failed to win.
This foreshadowed his winning the 2006 Golden Lion award for his film, "Still Life". In 2007, Jia released a second documentary (after 2006's "Dong"), entitled "Useless".
Jia is currently working on two additional projects: the gangster film, "Age of Tatto", which was originally planned to be released in 2007, although filming was delayed after lead Jay Chou pulled out, and Shuang Xionghui, which will be Jia's first historical epic. Jia Zhangke is also a member of the jury of Big Screen Italia Film Festival 2006 in Kunming, Yunnan, China.
FILMOGRAPHY
1995 - Xiao Shan Going Home
1996 - Dudu
1997 - Xiao Wu
2000 - Platform
2001 - In Public
2002 - Unknown Pleasures
2004 - The World
2006 - Still Life
2006 - Dong
2007 - Useless
2007 - Our Ten Years
2008 - Age of Tattoo
2008 - Shuang xiong hui