Jia Zhangke: why my films are received differently in China and abroad
After Chinese authorities left his previous film in limbo, director Jia Zhangke returns with a more emotional but less controversial project
Jia Zhangke is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers working in China today but he isn't always appreciated at home. His works, which often remind audiences in China about the loss of humanity and absurd shift in identity accompanying the country's economic boom, are conceivably harder to digest.
The writer-director of modern classics such as Platform (2000) and Still Life (2006) has never been known for his blockbusting potential in the domestic box office. But Jia struck a new obstacle when his 2013 film, A Touch of Sin, was arbitrarily denied a release at home despite winning the best screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Marking his first attempt at overt screen violence, the film is based on true events and touches on issues of corruption, social injustice - even suicides at a large manufacturing plant. It evidently struck a raw nerve: although A Touch of Sin had passed the censors, Chinese authorities prohibited reporting on the film and placed it in distribution limbo.
At last month's Toronto International Film Festival, where he served on the jury of a new "Platform" section ("inspired by Jia's groundbreaking film" of the same title, according to the official programme), the 45-year-old director had no doubt about the reasons behind the authorities' sensitivity over A Touch of Sin.
"While the violence in that film is derived partly from human nature, it is also related to social problems that have arisen from China's rapid development," he says. "The connection between these violent incidents and the social issues might have made some people uncomfortable, and that made things contentious."
Against that pungent take on social disruption in China, his latest production - relationship drama Mountains May Depart - might appear to be a dramatic U-turn for Jia.