Huo Jianqi

Last updated
Huo Jianqi
Born (1958-01-20) January 20, 1958 (age 66)
Occupation Film director
Spouse Qiu Shi
Awards Huabiao Award for Outstanding Director
2000 A Love of Blueness
2003 Nuan
Shanghai Golden Goblet
2002 Life Show
Tokyo Grand Prix
2003 Nuan Golden Rooster AwardsBest Film
1999 Postmen in the Mountains
2003 Nuan

Huo Jianqi (Chinese :霍建起; born January 20, 1958) is a Chinese film director. Like the cinematographer turned director Gu Changwei, Huo Jianqi began his cinematic career in the art department. [1] Nearly all of Huo's films have been written by his wife and collaborator, Qiu Shi, who works under the name "Si Wu." [1] Unlike many of his contemporaries (and predecessors), Huo rarely has had issues with the Chinese government regarding his films, leading some western critics to label him the "darling director of China's film bureaucracy." [2]

Contents

Career

Huo attended the Beijing Film Academy in the early 1980s as part of the "Fifth Generation" (which also included directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige). After graduation, he worked as an art director, including on films such as Tian Zhuangzhuang's The Horse Thief (1986). Huo's own career as a director did not begin, however, until 1995 with The Winner and would not achieve true international success until his 1999 film, Postmen in the Mountains . The simple tale of a father and son traveling through the mountains of Hunan delivering mail proved a success in both China, where it eventually won the Golden Rooster for best film, best director, and best actor Teng Rujun, and abroad in foreign festivals. Upon its release in the United States, the film was praised by critics for its sincerity, critic Roger Ebert noted that the film was "so simple and straightforward that its buried emotions catch us a little by surprise." [3] Huo repeated that film's success with his subsequent project, including 2000's A Love of Blueness and 2002's Life Show (which won the Golden Goblet for best film at the Shanghai International Film Festival).

Huo scored another success with his adaptation of author Mo Yan's The White Dog and the Swing, entitled Nuan . The film, starring Guo Xiaodong and Li Jia in the title role, won the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival, [2] as well as another best picture Golden Rooster.

Filmography

YearEnglish TitleChinese TitleNotes
1995 The Winner 赢家
1997 The Singer 歌手
1999 Postmen in the Mountains 那山那人那狗Golden Rooster for Best Picture
2000 A Love of Blueness 蓝色爱情
2002 Life Show 生活秀Golden Goblet at the Shanghai International Film Festival
2003 Nuan Golden Rooster for Best Picture
2005 A Time to Love 情人结
2008 Li Shuangliang 时代愚公
2009 Snowfall in Taipei 台北飘雪
2011 The Seal of Love 秋之白华
2013 Falling Flowers 萧红
2015 Love in the 1980s 1980年代的爱情
2016 Xuanzang 大唐玄奘

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gong Li</span> Chinese-Singaporean actress (born 1965)

Gong Li is a Chinese-Singaporean actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses in China today, she is known for her versatility and naturalistic performance. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhang Yimou</span> Chinese filmmaker (born 1950)

Zhang Yimou is a Chinese filmmaker. A leading figure of China's Fifth Generation directors, he made his directorial debut in 1988 with Red Sorghum, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>House of Flying Daggers</i> 2004 film by Zhang Yimou

House of Flying Daggers is a 2004 wuxia martial arts film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hou Hsiao-hsien</span> Taiwanese director, actor (born 1947)

Hou Hsiao-hsien is a retired Mainland Chinese-born Taiwanese film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a leading figure in world cinema and in Taiwan's New Wave cinema movement. He won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1989 for his film A City of Sadness (1989), and the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 for The Assassin (2015). Other highly regarded works of his include The Puppetmaster (1993) and Flowers of Shanghai (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liu Ye (actor)</span> Chinese actor

Liu Ye is a Chinese actor. He made his feature film debut in Postmen in the Mountains (1999), and later on won recognition through critically acclaimed film Lan Yu (2001), which earned him the Best Actor award at the Golden Horse Awards. His other notable works include the film Cock and Bull (2016), as well as the television series Blood Color Romance (2005) and All Quiet in Peking (2014).

<i>Red Sorghum</i> (film) 1987 Chinese film

Red Sorghum is a 1987 Chinese film about a young woman's life working in a distillery for sorghum liquor. It is based on the first two parts of the novel Red Sorghum by Nobel laureate Mo Yan.

<i>Kekexili: Mountain Patrol</i> 2004 film by Lu Chuan

Kekexili: Mountain Patrol is a 2004 Chinese film directed by Lu Chuan that depicts the struggle between vigilante rangers and bands of poachers in the remote Tibetan region of Kekexili. It was inspired by the documentary Balance by Peng Hui.

<i>Postmen in the Mountains</i> 1999 Chinese film

Postmen in the Mountains is a 1999 Chinese film directed by Huo Jianqi. It is based on the short story of the same name by Peng Jianming (彭见明).

<i>The King of Masks</i> 1996 Chinese historical drama film by Wu Tianming

The King of Masks is a 1996 Chinese film directed by Wu Tianming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Claude Lauzon</span> Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter

Jean-Claude Lauzon was a Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter. Born to a working class family in Montreal, Quebec, Lauzon dropped out of high school and worked various jobs before studying film at the Université du Québec à Montréal. His two feature-length films, Night Zoo (1987) and Léolo (1992), established him as one of the most important Canadian directors of his generation. American film critic Roger Ebert wrote that "Lauzon is so motivated by his resentments and desires that everything he creates is pressed into the cause and filled with passion."

<i>The Bands Visit</i> 2007 Israeli film

The Band's Visit is a 2007 comedy-drama film written and directed by Eran Kolirin, and starring Saleh Bakri, Ronit Elkabetz, Sasson Gabai and Uri Gavriel. It is an international co-production between Israel, France and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yu Nan</span> Chinese actress

Yu Nan is a Chinese actress. Born in Dalian, Yu Nan studied at the Beijing Film Academy, where she graduated in 1999.

The 2008 Shanghai International Film Festival is the 11th such festival devoted to international cinema to be held in Shanghai, China. It was held from June 14–22, 2008. Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai was the head of jury at this year's film festival along with other jury members such as Chinese-American actress Joan Chen, legendary Danish director Bille August and Israeli stage actress Gila Almagor.

<i>Nuan</i> 2003 Chinese film

Nuan is a 2003 Chinese film directed by Huo Jianqi. The film won the Grand Prix at the 16th Tokyo International Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of author Mo Yan's short story, The White Dog and the Swing. The film is set in Maoyuan, a small and ancient village in Jiangxi. Nuan's production was delayed by the outbreak of SARS in 2002–2003, making it miss a planned debut at the Venice Film Festival that September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ang Lee</span> Taiwanese filmmaker (born 1954)

Ang Lee is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2003, he was ranked 27th in The Guardian's 40 best directors.

<i>Life Show</i> 2002 Chinese film

Life Show is a 2002 Chinese film directed by Huo Jianqi. A drama, Life Show tells the story of a restaurant owner, played by Tao Hong, whose busy life dealing with family and business is nevertheless a lonely one. Her life takes a turn, however, when one of her long-time customers, played by Tao Zeru, shows a romantic interest in her. The film was a co-production between the China Film Group and the Beijing Film Studio. It was based on a novel by Chi Li and was adapted by Si Wu.

Teng Rujun was a Chinese actor. He appeared in Zhang Yimou's Red Sorghum (1987) and Huo Jianqi's Postmen in the Mountains (1999), for which he won Best Actor at the Golden Rooster Awards. Teng died on 13 September 2023, at the age of 76.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reza Mirkarimi</span> Iranian film writer and director (born 1967)

Reza Mirkarimi is an Iranian screenwriter and film director.

<i>Xuanzang</i> (film) 2016 Chinese film by Huo Jianqi

Xuanzang is a 2016 Chinese-Indian historical adventure film that dramatizes the life of Xuanzang (602—664), a Buddhist monk and scholar. The film depicts his arduous nearly two-decade overland journey to India during the Tang dynasty on a mission to bring Buddhist scriptures to China, largely related to the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West. The film is directed by Huo Jianqi and produced by Wong Kar-wai. It stars Huang Xiaoming as the titular character, and includes cameo or short performances by other accomplished actors including Kent Tong, Purba Rgyal, Sonu Sood and Tan Kai. It was released in China on 29 April 2016, with distribution in China by China Film Group Corporation. It was selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but was not nominated. It won the Golden Angel Award Film and the best screenwriter categories at the 12th Chinese American Film Festival and was nominated in several categories at the 31st Golden Rooster Awards.

The 31st International Film Festival of India was held from 10–20 January 2000 in New Delhi. The competitive edition was restricted to "Asian Directors". The follow-up 32nd IFFI edition was cancelled due to interim decision.

References

  1. 1 2 Franklin, Erica. "Reel Love: Interview with Huo Jianqi". Firecracker Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-01-25. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  2. 1 2 Schwarzacher, Lukas (2003-11-10). "'Nuan' Wins Tokyo Kudos". Variety . Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  3. Ebert, Roger (2004-12-31). "Postmen in the Mountains". The Chicago Sun Times . Retrieved 2008-05-08.