Mainland director Zhang Yang has said no to going to Hollywood despite having a number of acclaimed films under his belt and signing up with a prominent Hollywood agent, Creative Artist Agency.
'If I go to America, I don't know what films to make,' said Zhang, director of Shower and Sunflower, the latter of which is being screened at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
'The greatest problem is the cultural differences. Here in China, I know what I'm doing. [If I go to America] I'll lose myself.'
While acknowledging many Chinese filmmakers had been trying to launch careers in Hollywood, Zhang said his intention behind signing with a US agent was to help raise money for future projects. '[Those directors] speak better English,' he said. 'Signing with an American agent just helps me with other aspects like financing a film.'
Zhang became one of the most watched talents in the world as soon as his debut Spicy Love Soup came out in 1997. The film competed at the Tokyo International Film Festival and won almost all of the domestic awards on the mainland.
His second film, Shower, made him a household name in China and at film festivals overseas. The film won numerous awards in Canada, Spain, Italy and Argentina.
His fourth film, Sunflower, starring Sun Haiying and Joan Chen, was a heart-wrenching tale of the relationship between a father and a son through four turbulent decades in China. The film won Zhang best director at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain.