Zhang Yimou

Directing

Zhang Yimou

Born 1950-04-02 · Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China

Zhang Yimou (born November 14, 1950 or 1951)  is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. He is counted amongst the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum. Zhang has won numerous awards and recognitions, with Best Foreign Film nominations for Ju Dou in 1990 and Raise the Red Lantern in 1991, Silver Lion and Golden Lion prizes at the Venice Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. One of Zhang's recurrent themes is the resilience of Chinese people in the face of hardship and adversity, a theme which has been explored in such films as, for example, To Live (1994) and Not One Less (1999). His films are particularly noted for their rich use of colour, as can be seen in some of his early films, like Raise the Red Lantern, and in his wuxia films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers.

Acting credits

Trespassing Bergman poster
6.6

In the sixties, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) built a house on the remote island of Fårö, located in the Baltic Sea, and left Stockholm to live there. When he died, the house was preserved. A group of very special film buffs, came from all over the world, travel to Fårö in search of the genius and his legacy. (An abridged version of Bergman's Video, 2012.)

Trespassing Bergman

2013

Red Sorghum poster
7.2

An old leper who owned a remote sorghum winery dies. Jiu'er, the wife bought by the leper, and her lover, identified only as "my Grandpa" by the narrator, take over the winery and set up an idealized quasi-matriarchal community headed by Jiu'er. When the Japanese invaders subject the area to their rule and cut down the sorghum to make way for a road, the community rises up and resists as the sorghum grows anew.

Red Sorghum

1988

Lumière & Company poster
6.3

40 international directors were asked to make a short film using the original Cinematographe invented by the Lumière Brothers, working under conditions similar to those of 1895. There were three rules: (1) The film could be no longer than 52 seconds, (2) no synchronized sound was permitted, and (3) no more than three takes.

Lumière & Company

1995

A Terra-Cotta Warrior poster
6.6

An awakened immortal warrior struggles between defending the emperor and the actress he believes to be his love of old.

A Terra-Cotta Warrior

1989

Bergman: A Year in a Life poster
7.4

The year 1957 was one of the most prolific for the Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman: he shot two films, released two of his most celebrated films and produced four plays and a TV movie while juggling with a complicated private life.

Bergman: A Year in a Life

2018

Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang poster
7.0

Known for his spectacular pyrotechnic displays, Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang creates his most ambitious project yet: Sky Ladder, a visionary, explosive event that he pulls off in his hometown in China after 20 years of failed attempts.

Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang

2017

'Hero' Defined: A Look at the Epic Masterpiece poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

'Hero' Defined: A Look at the Epic Masterpiece

2004

Keep Cool poster
7.5

A spurned lover seeks a rich man for revenge. A random onlooker — who witnessed the public assault committed by the rich man against the lover — seeks for monetary compensation for his smashed computer.

Keep Cool

1997

No artwork available
NR

Behind the scenes look at the making of Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower".

Secrets Within: Inside Look at 'Curse of the Golden Flower'

2007

Making of House of Flying Daggers poster
6.8

Main Characters/Performers: 1. Xiao Mei - first appearing as new star dancer in lavish Peony Pavilion brothel, Mei is believed to be the blind daughter of a rebel group's recently assassinated leader- played by Zhang Ziyi . 2. Jin - police captain in the ruling Tang emperor's service, enlisted by his superior Leo to play the role of double agent by helping Mei escape and getting her to lead him - and government troops - to the rebel stronghold - played by Takeshi Kaneshiro. 3. Leo - introduced as a high ranking policeman in the Tang emperor's service, Leo turns out to a mole planted years earlier by the rebels working to overthrow the corrupt ruling Tang government - played by Andy Lau.

Making of House of Flying Daggers

2004

My Country, My Parents poster
6.0

This anthology drama presents four short films honoring Chinese families, spotlighting the struggles of key groups across four pivotal eras: the revolution, construction, reform and opening up, and the new era, while highlighting their perseverance, dedication to ideals, and commitment to passing on the national spirit through generations.

My Country, My Parents

2021

Big Fish in China poster
NR

Recording of the documentary 'Big Fish in China', a film looking at the work and life of Zhang Yimou, one of China's most famous film directors, and his leading lady and partner, Gong Li.

Big Fish in China

1994

Beauty and Pureness poster
NR

A documentary on the filming of the movie House of Flying Daggers

Beauty and Pureness

2004

The Big Parade poster
5.9

Army volunteers train for places in China's 1984 National Day parade, where they are expected to be a perfect marching unit.

The Big Parade

1986

New Chinese Cinema poster
NR

Tony Rayns presents the work of the 'Fifth Generation' and other innovative filmmakers who emerged during the 1980s in China.

New Chinese Cinema

1989

Old Well poster
7.1

A married village worker teams up with an old girlfriend to try to dig a well for his water-starved village. The well collapses and they are trapped. Their enforced confinement leads to them exploring their feelings for each other and those around them.

Old Well

1986

Zhang Yimou's "Shadow" poster
NR

Documentary about the making of Zhang Yimou's fiction movie Shadow.

Zhang Yimou's "Shadow"

2018

Cause: The Birth of Hero poster
7.8

The movie follows director Zhang Yimou as he is preparing to make the movie Hero.

Cause: The Birth of Hero

2002

A Documentary About The Movie One Second poster
1.0

No synopsis available yet.

A Documentary About The Movie One Second

2020

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

知识改变命运

1999

Behind the camera

Hero poster
7.5

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.

Hero

2002

Hero poster
7.5

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.

Hero

2002

Hero poster
7.5

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.

Hero

2002

The Great Wall poster
6.0

European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.

The Great Wall

2016

Scare Out poster
6.7

After a critical intelligence leak, a national security unit launches an intensive investigation. But successive setbacks in their arrest operations reveal a shocking truth: the trail leads back to within the unit itself. Amidst a storm of trust and betrayal, a silent battle begins to unfold...

Scare Out

2026

Scare Out poster
6.7

After a critical intelligence leak, a national security unit launches an intensive investigation. But successive setbacks in their arrest operations reveal a shocking truth: the trail leads back to within the unit itself. Amidst a storm of trust and betrayal, a silent battle begins to unfold...

Scare Out

2026

Curse of the Golden Flower poster
6.9

During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as his wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

Curse of the Golden Flower

2006

Curse of the Golden Flower poster
6.9

During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as his wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

Curse of the Golden Flower

2006

House of Flying Daggers poster
7.3

In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

House of Flying Daggers

2004

House of Flying Daggers poster
7.3

In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

House of Flying Daggers

2004

House of Flying Daggers poster
7.3

In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

House of Flying Daggers

2004

Raise the Red Lantern poster
7.9

In 1920s China, 19-year-old Songlian becomes a concubine of a powerful lord and is forced to compete with his three wives for the privileges gained.

Raise the Red Lantern

1991

Red Sorghum poster
7.2

An old leper who owned a remote sorghum winery dies. Jiu'er, the wife bought by the leper, and her lover, identified only as "my Grandpa" by the narrator, take over the winery and set up an idealized quasi-matriarchal community headed by Jiu'er. When the Japanese invaders subject the area to their rule and cut down the sorghum to make way for a road, the community rises up and resists as the sorghum grows anew.

Red Sorghum

1988

To Live poster
8.1

Married couple Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in mid-20th century mainland China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.

To Live

1994

To Each His Own Cinema poster
6.4

Commissioned to mark the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, "To Each His Own Cinema" brought together 33 of the world's pre-eminent filmmakers to produce short pieces exploring the multifarious facets of cinema and their perspective on the state of their chosen artform in the early 21st century.

To Each His Own Cinema

2007

To Each His Own Cinema poster
6.4

Commissioned to mark the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, "To Each His Own Cinema" brought together 33 of the world's pre-eminent filmmakers to produce short pieces exploring the multifarious facets of cinema and their perspective on the state of their chosen artform in the early 21st century.

To Each His Own Cinema

2007

Coming Home poster
7.3

Lu and Feng are a devoted couple forced to separate when Lu is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner during the Cultural Revolution. He finally returns home only to find that his beloved wife no longer remembers him.

Coming Home

2014

The Flowers of War poster
7.4

A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.

The Flowers of War

2011

Not One Less poster
7.5

Set in the People's Republic of China during the 1990s, the film centers on a 13-year-old substitute teacher, Wei Minzhi, in the Chinese countryside. Called in to substitute for a village teacher for one month, Wei is told not to lose any students.

Not One Less

1999

Lumière & Company poster
6.3

40 international directors were asked to make a short film using the original Cinematographe invented by the Lumière Brothers, working under conditions similar to those of 1895. There were three rules: (1) The film could be no longer than 52 seconds, (2) no synchronized sound was permitted, and (3) no more than three takes.

Lumière & Company

1995

Shadow poster
6.7

In a kingdom ruled by a young and unpredictable king, the military commander has a secret weapon: a shadow, a look-alike who can fool both his enemies and the King himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan that will lead his people to victory in a war that the King does not want.

Shadow

2018

Shadow poster
6.7

In a kingdom ruled by a young and unpredictable king, the military commander has a secret weapon: a shadow, a look-alike who can fool both his enemies and the King himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan that will lead his people to victory in a war that the King does not want.

Shadow

2018

The Story of Qiu Ju poster
7.3

When her husband is kicked in the groin by the village head, Qiu Ju, a peasant woman, despite her pregnancy, travels to a nearby town, and later a big city to deal with its bureaucrats and find justice.

The Story of Qiu Ju

1992

Full River Red poster
6.0

During China's Song Dynasty, a mysterious murder occurs at Chancellor Quin Hui's palace after meeting delegates from the neighboring Jin Dynasty. The members become embroiled not just in a murder mystery, but a larger conspiracy concerning the fate of the empire.

Full River Red

2023