Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke takes new approach with '24 City.'
- From: "CKinSF <ck_in_sf1@xxxxxxxxxxx>" <CKinSF <ck_in_sf1@xxxxxxxxxxx>>
- Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 08:12:24 +0800
Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke takes new approach with '24 City.'
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
Not only is the 38-year-old director the most prominent Chinese filmmaker
of his generation, he also has come to assume the role of witness and
conscience ...
<http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-24city19-2008may19,0,6686978.story>
News
California | Local
National
World
Entertainment
Business
Sports
Campaign '08
Science
Environment
Opinion
Columnists
Print Edition
Readers' Rep
Corrections
The Guide
The Envelope
Travel
Magazine
Home & Garden
Health
Food
Autos
Books
Image
Arts & Culture
Living Green
Video
Photography
Obituaries
Crossword, Sudoku
Your Scene
Blogs
All Sections
Buy, Sell & More
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apartments
Personals
Deals at Local Stores
Coupons
Newspaper Ads
Place an Ad
In the Newspaper
Online
Settings & Services
Sign In
Register
Personalized News
E-Mail Newsletters
RSS Feeds
Help
Contact Us
L.A. Times Archives
Reprint Requests
Work for Us
Home Delivery
Customer Support
Subscribe
template_bas
template_basCANNES FILM FESTIVAL
Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke takes new approach with '24 City.'
The director blends fact and fiction and uses words to tell the story.
By Dennis Lim, Special to The Times
May 19, 2008
CANNES, France -- By necessity, Jia Zhang-ke is a filmmaker who responds to
current events with the instincts of a newshound. Not only is the 38-year-old
director the most prominent Chinese filmmaker of his generation, he also has
come to assume the role of witness and conscience in a society characterized by
rapid modernization and a growing amnesia.
Jia's recent films have been increasingly dominated by their almost surreal
real-world settings. "The World" (2004) takes place largely within an actual
Beijing theme park containing replicas of global tourist attractions. "Still
Life," which won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2006, unfolds
against the backdrop of a riverside town that is being prepared for flooding as
part of the enormous Three Gorges hydroelectric project. His latest feature, "24
City," which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday,
centers on the closure of Factory 420, a sprawling state-owned industrial park
in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.
"Since 2000, I have been wanting to make a film about how workers are affected
by the transition from a planned economy to a market economy in China," he said,
speaking through a translator. He knew he had found his perfect subject when he
learned last year that Factory 420, a munitions plant that for six decades had
specialized in the production of aviation engines, was to be replaced by a
complex of luxury high-rise apartments called 24 City.
Related
STORY: Cannes updates Photos: The scene at Cannes '08Intending to make a
documentary, Jia conducted more than 130 interviews with workers of various ages
and levels at Factory 420. But he came to realize that the project could be, as
he put it, "richer and more emotional" if he incorporated elements of fiction.
In recent years, Jia has moved with ease between fiction and documentary, often
smudging the distinctions between the categories. (His recent nonfiction films
include "Dong," a study of a Chinese painter, and "Useless," an essay on the
manufacture of clothing, from factory workers to high-end fashion.) With "24
City," he mixes fact and fiction in more provocative ways than before. Some of
the people who appear in the film are actual workers. Others are characters
played by recognizable actors, including Joan Chen, the Chinese American star of
"The Last Emperor" and TV's "Twin Peaks," and Jia's regular star, Zhao Tao.
"24 City" marks something of a shift in Jia's formal approach. His films are
known for their long, contemplative takes, but here the emphasis shifts from
watching to listening. Befitting a film that serves above all as a testimonial,
"24 City" is awash in words -- long, eloquent monologues, real and imagined, as
well as liberal quotations from Yeats and Chinese poetry. "Cinema in general
relies too much on action these days," Jia said. "But I think the best way to
fully depict these complex personal experiences is through language."
At their most powerful, Jia's films are crystal-clear demonstrations of how
macro forces register on a micro level -- or, to be precise, how the policy
shifts of the Chinese government are felt by individuals. In a sense, he has
never taken on more than in "24 City," which condenses half a century's worth of
Chinese social and economic history into a handful of vivid life stories.
Last week, "24 City" acquired a tragic, unanticipated timeliness. Chengdu is not
far from the epicenter of the recent earthquake in Sichuan, which left tens of
thousands dead. The topic came up repeatedly at Jia's news conference on
Saturday -- and he eventually responded by calling for a minute of silence.
"I didn't really know how to react," he said later, "so I thought that would be
the best thing to do."
"24 City" almost didn't make it to the Cannes Film Festival. According to Jia,
authorities in Beijing had initially decided not to allow any Chinese films to
play at international festivals in the run-up to this summer's Olympics, for
fear of potentially negative exposure.
"I think their belief was that not to have a voice is better than to have any
kind of voice," he said. "But I really felt I had to push for approval."
CKinSF.
aka running dog chow-kow-sick-fûçkk(cksf)
- Prev by Date: Chinese missions to EU, Belgium mourn quake victims
- Next by Date: Chinese Americans in Washington donate nearly $300000 to quake-hit ...
- Previous by thread: Chinese missions to EU, Belgium mourn quake victims
- Next by thread: Chinese Americans in Washington donate nearly $300000 to quake-hit ...
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
