Zhang Yi Mou 张艺谋

Zhang Yi Mou is one of the stars of the growing Chinese movie business. He is probably the most internationally known Chinese filmmaker (producer, director, writer, cinematographer).

Yi Mou was born in Xi'An (where the terracotta army is situated) in Shaanxi province on 14 November 1951. Because of the support his family gave the Kuomintang, he got a hard life during the reign of the Communist Party. During the Cultural Revolution he had to do forced labour on a farm and later in a textile mill. This period give him inspiration for later movies and already during his youth he was interested in painting and acting.

After Mao's death and the end of the Cultural Revolution, Zhang Yi Mou started to develop his talent. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 1982 and started to handle some projects with his former classmates.

In 1987 he produces his first his directorial debut, Red Sorghum, starring Gong Li. Red Sorghum narrates the hard life of a young woman working on a distillery for sorghum liquor. His debut wins him the Golden Bear for Best Picture at the Berlin Film festival in 1988.

His next international recognition will earn him an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film with his movie Ju Dou. Ju Dou tells the story of a young girl, again played by Gong Li, sold to a dye merchant. Again a real life movie about the more hard rural life in earlier China.

Raise the Red Lantern is considered as his best work and is about the struggle of 4 woman, concubines and wives, in a rich family compound. The movie stars Gong Li and was internationally acclaimed and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Unfortunately it was banned from China, because politically not correct.

His next movies win him different awards on various International Film festivals. Still starring his best star Gong Li. His most recent movies still show different aspects of Chinese life and society but are more going on the Hollywood tour. Bigger, more budget and reaching a bigger audience. His 2002 movie Hero has an impressive line-up of Asian stars, the likes of Gong Li, Jet Li, Maggie Cheung and Zhang's new protegee Zhang Ziyi. Thanks to the help of Quentin Tarantino the Movie becomes a big international hit and gets a nominee for Best Foreign Language Movie.

House of Flying Daggers follows the line of Hero and brings a mixture of great cinematography and action scenes. Also starring Zhang Ziyi and Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro.

His latest movie Curse of the Golden flower, again with his favourite Gong Li was well received but not seen as his best. In China this movie has been titled "Curse of the big boobs", because of the intensive focus on Gong Li's pushed-up bosom.

Zhang Yi Mou not only produces movies he also has some Impression productions running in China. Impression are huge shows set on landscapes with artist performing with their environment in front of a stage being able to host about up to 600 people.

Momently there are three Impression shows. One in Yangshuo, one in Lijiang and one in Hangzhou. More info about Impression shows.

Zhang Yi Mou also directed a portion of the Closing Ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games Athens in Greece. For the Olympic Games of 2008 Beijing Zhang Yi Mou will direct the opening ceremony and that will be a stunner, so I highly recommend you not to miss this Opening Ceremony of Beijing 2008!

Zhang Yi Mou
Gong Li in Curse of the Golden Flower
Zhang Zi Yi in House of Flying Daggers


Filmography Zhang Yi Mou:


- 1987 Red Sorghum, 红高粱
- 1989 Codename Cougar, 代号美洲豹
- 1991 Ju Dou, 菊豆
- 1992 Raise the Red Lantern, 大红灯笼高高挂
- 1994 To Live, 活着
- 1995 Shanghai Triad, 摇啊摇
- 1995 Lumière and Company
- 1997 Keep Cool, 有话好好说
- 1999 Not One Less, 一个都不能少
- 1999 The Road Home, 我的父亲母亲
- 2000 Happy Times, 幸福时光
- 2002 Hero, 英雄
- 2004 House of Flying Daggers, 十面埋伏
- 2005 Riding Alone for Thousand of Miles, 千里走单骑
- 2006 Curse of the Golden Flower, 满城尽带黄金甲
- 2007 To Each His Cinema (in production)