
Zhang Yimou
Biography
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 (17 movies)

Keep Cool
1997

Red Sorghum
1988

A Terra-Cotta Warrior
1989

Making of House of Flying Daggers
2004

'Hero' Defined: A Look at the Epic Masterpiece
2004

Beauty and Pureness
2004

A Documentary About The Movie One Second
2020

Cause: The Birth of Hero
2002

Old Well
1987

Trespassing Bergman
2013

Bergman: A Year in a Life
2018

New Chinese Cinema
1989

Zhang Yimou's "Shadow"
2018

The Big Parade
1986

Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang
2017

My Country, My Parents
2021

Big Fish in China
1994
Directing (39 movies)

Hero
2002

Curse of the Golden Flower
2006

Raise the Red Lantern
1991

The Road Home
1999

Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony
2022

House of Flying Daggers
2004

Beijing 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony
2008

Not One Less
1999

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
2005

Ju Dou
1990

Red Sorghum
1988

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop
2009

The Story of Qiu Ju
1992

Shanghai Triad
1995

Keep Cool
1997

Happy Times
2000

Under the Hawthorn Tree
2010

The Flowers of War
2011

Code Name: Cougar
1989

Coming Home
2014

To Live
1994

Puccini: Turandot at the Forbidden City of Beijing
1999

Lumière & Company
1995

The Great Wall
2016

Lady of the Dynasty
2015

Beijing 2022 Olympic Opening Ceremony
2022

Beijing 2022 Olympics Closing Ceremony
2022

Full River Red
2023

To Each His Own Cinema
2007

最忆是杭州
2016

Beijing 2008 Olympic Closing Ceremony
2008

Shadow
2018

Article 20
2024

One Second
2020

Cliff Walkers
2021

Under the Light
2023
图兰朵:法兰西体育场
2005

Snipers
2022

60th Anniversary Of Founding Of The People's Republic Of China
2009
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| The Great Conqueror's Concubine | 1994 | Producer |
| Dragon Town Story | 1997 | Producer |
| Hero | 2002 | Producer |
| House of Flying Daggers | 2004 | Producer |
| House of Flying Daggers | 2004 | Writer |
| Making of House of Flying Daggers | 2004 | Producer |
| Making of House of Flying Daggers | 2004 | Writer |
| Curse of the Golden Flower | 2006 | Screenplay |
| To Each His Own Cinema | 2007 | Writer |
| Suddenly Seventeen | 2016 | Producer |
| Shadow | 2018 | Screenplay |
| My People, My Homeland | 2020 | Producer |
| One Second | 2020 | Writer |
| Cliff Walkers | 2021 | Screenplay |
| Full River Red | 2023 | Screenplay |
| Beijing 2022 | 2023 | Executive Producer |
| Article 20 | 2024 | Writer |