Fujian Blue (dir. Robin Weng)

The value of Asia Society’s series China’s Past Present, Future on Film… is that it exposes us to a diverse group of lesser-known artists at a time when much of the discussion of contemporary Chinese cinema still revolves around big names like Jia Zhangke.

Andrew Chan reviews several of the titles playing at the Asia Society series, giving special mention to Robin Weng’s Fujian Blue.

Read the full article.

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Translation by Yuqian Yan

IV. New Theaters

Another aspect of capital operation is the development of new theaters and their surroundings. A significant trend is that after international capital was fully withdrawn from China due to policy reasons, the newly raised major players are all domestic partnerships.

Megabox Sanlitun Theater, Beijing

Withdrawn capital is mainly from the States and Europe, but those from Hong Kong or Korea are allowed to stay. Even though according to government policy, Hong Kong and Korean capital can only account for a small proportion, their existence allows theaters to maintain their original status as international chain brands. For example, the new theater built in the middle of Sanlitun, Beijing uses a Korean theater brand. One reason is that Hong Kong and Korean investors sometimes agree to disguise international capital under the name of domestic capital through an intermediary, whereas European and American investors always hesitate to make such a suspicious deal. For instance, Warner has stopped expanding its business in China for years. But European and American giants are just waiting for new policies that will offer better opportunities. In the long run, more than half of the Chinese theaters will be controlled by American capital in the future.

Most domestic giants are tightly integrated with the reals state industry. Most noticeable is Wanda’s general success. They manage to cover almost all the new development zones which didn’t exist in the formal cultural map of China. In big cities, these development zones have hundreds of thousands population. Moreover, the residents are mainly young, white-collars, (Blue-collars don’t buy houses. Mid-age white-collars tend to choose better developed neighborhood, and they don’t go to cinema.) such as the North District in Kunming.

Broadway Cinematheque MOMA, Beijing

Another remarkable theater development is the establishment of the Film Culture Center (Broadway Cinematheque MOMA) by Anle on the second ring road of Beijing. This is an isolated incident and its uniqueness is worth careful analysis and expectation.

Some theater businessmen study the mode of film history again and again, and hope to apply it to their own cinema, but it is too difficult to realize in practice. Moreover, commercial blockbusters are still profitable at the moment (the payback period for new theaters is about 3 years, hardware deprecation is about 7 to 8 years, real estate contracts last about 10 years in general). There’s no need for business to take the risk to start a new path.

But since theaters have such high returns, and the ready-made experience is so attractive, investment in theaters are expected to continue to increase. How much is the room for growth? It depends on the community on the one hand, and programing on the other hand. Because of the shortage of theaters in the past 20 years, and the commercial operation mode for blockbusters in the past 10 years, investors and audiences have forgotten about the lack of programs. American blockbusters saturated the market several years ago, which widened the gap between blockbusters shown in China. Now there are only two or three super blockbusters each year. I’m afraid that domestic blockbusters will also reach its saturation sometime in the future. By that time, we merely have two or three films a year in a real sense.

The scarcity of programming, in my own anticipation, will result a considerable percentage of empty seats in new cinemas in three years. This percentage will reach an unacceptable peak in five or six years, and the development will start to reverse, such as converting cinemas into billiard halls.

Art cinema, which has been criticized as impossible to form, will be realized independent from the will of scholars and intellectuals, but on the reality of the high rate of empty cinema seats. Some cinemas will have to depend on blockbusters to make money, others will rely on cultural activities and artworks to survive. The relation between the two will probably be balanced and harmonious by the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Republic, if we can keep on developing “normally” in the next ten years.

Contemporary art has passed the Old Summer Palace period and is now in the 798 period. The polarization within the film industry means that film as entertainment can appear in the cheapest form, such as in parodies of big movies, or in the most expansive form. So it is very abnormal for film as culture or art to be always in the low-end state.

Anle’s Film Cultural Centre that started to operate this year would probably contribute to the elevation of film as an art form. Perhaps it’s just a beginning; perhaps policy and other investors would follow up in three or five years. Hopefully Anle’s experiment will survive until that point.

V. Ten Years of Independence

Spring Fever (dir. Lou Ye)

Among different ways of counting independent films, if we see the grassroots video movement as its starting point, this is exactly its tenth year of existence. That is to say it is not the same age as the Republic, but the same age as the new century.

How can I describe to you those films that you’ve never seen, my dear audience?

Our cultural map is the same as our elections. It’s a 99% vs. 1% relationship. How can I explain that this 1% is not self-marginalized?

So as a writer, what I should do is to arouse your curiosity. That’s all I can do. If you are interested, you can find details online. As for the must-see works, you can watch them at different independent film festivals. If you don’t want to travel beyond your own city, please wait for the travelling shows to arrive in your place.

I personally consider them to be among the best part of contemporary Chinese culture, and the only valuable thing in Chinese cinema.

I’ll list three narrative films and three documentaries here, as well as three informational websites.

Spring Fever, dir. Lou Ye: He loves her loves him loves her loves him …
Bride, dir. Zhang Ming: An old cow eating tender grass (i.e. old man marries a young woman).
Good Cats, dir. Ying Liang: Catching mice can make you rich.
Petition, dir. Zhao Liang: Hasn’t the asylum policy been canceled?
Wheat Harvest, dir. Xu Tong: About a goddess.
Buried, dir. Wang Libo: About the 1976 Tangshan Earthquake

www.fanhall.cn
www.yunfest.org
www.chinaiff.org

Zhang Xianmin
December 20, 2009

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Translation by Yuqian Yan

II. Long Live Capital: Non-stop Financing

Red Cliff (dir. John Woo)

The highest level of capital operations, where form and power converge, is to stack stars. The strategy is to stretch the shooting period so that new capital can be accumulated throughout the entire shooting and post-production period, new stars can keep on joining the film during the entire shooting period, the film can be revised over and over again to satisfy new investors, and new plotlines can be added to accommodate newly joined starts. Red Cliff is the first film that is close to this strategy. Its shooting period was so long that they had to make the film into two parts otherwise there would be no chance to make any money. But the version released in the States only has one part.

In 2009, apart from Founding of the Republic, another prominent example of commercial blockbusters using such open strategy during production is Bodyguards and Assassins. Even after the shooting was started, it continued to attract huge capital and film starts from Hong Kong and Taiwan. This is the third stage of financing.

The first stage is that traditionally one film only has one definite copyright owner. The second stage is comprehensive financing, but the ownership has already been divided before the shooting starts. We are now on the third stage, where ownership division and profit share probably will not be determined until distribution.

This requires skill to pull off, and certainly increases the instability of work, the so-called “experiencing the excitement of one’s heartbeat.” Last year, audiences didn’t like John Woo’s film to be released in two parts, so this year, I assume that Peter Chan won’t take the risk to endlessly extend the shooting period or frequently change the plan for Bodyguards and Assassins. Some mainland Chinese TV institute invested huge money in the film. Audiences can count how many starts appear for only several seconds.

III. To be Listed on the Market

Another high-end of capital operation is the listing of Huayi Brothers Media Group on the market. Although the company’s performance hasn’t been very stable since the listing, it temporarily revitalized the capital market. Businessmen from Zhejiang who were formally turned down by the coal market in Shanxi seem to enjoy spreading the news of Huayi’s performance more than making a fortune themselves. It’s rather similar to the situation in 2008 when a cultural company in Taiyuan (the capital of Shanxi province) organized coal mine owners to massively purchase art works from the 798 art district in Beijing for cultural purposes.

Private investment in film production can also be roughly divided into three steps. The first step was the participation of local brands or enterprises through advertising, such as water pipe commercials for gunfighting films, Hainan real estate investment commercials for art films set on the beach. This also marked the beginning of the collapse of the big studio system. The phase when private investors insisted on their status as the exclusive copyright owner of films ended in 1995. Nowadays, no one does that any more except for the purpose of promoting an actress, and these kind of investors typically retire after their first film.

The second step is seeking cooperation. Everyone, including CEPA, is talking about overseas financing. The prevalence of overseas capital and money-laundering means that capital will follow abroad before it circles back. This kind of investor normally makes two to four films. The first one might be a small production, just to see how deep the water is. Once they get enough investment to test the water, they’ll cautiously assess the chance of losing money. This phase is still going on. This is a process of transforming hot money into calm decisions.

The third step appears to be the combination of “Confucian merchants” and “MBAs”. Financial experts rich in cultural capital enjoy great popularity these days. Although counterfeit experts are unavoidable, there are also real MBAs, or PhDs from the States, or intellectuals from the 80s. These people intend to work in the industry for ten years or half of their life, and aim to accumulate as least twenty, or even fifty film titles with their name listed as partial copyright owners.

The landmark event of two years ago was the super-entrepreneur Dong Ping’s transfer of his entire assets and withdrawal from the film industry. This year’s climax is Huayi’s listing on the market.

There are two obvious psychological effects about the listing.

Ning Hao (director of Crazy Stone)

The first is to buy at a cheap price. Everyone is looking for rising box office stars like Ning Hao. Typical traditional investors are still expecting him to make a profitable film. Others reply on such contract and copyrights to raise the price tag for shares or asset transfers. What investors are discussing this year is that such people can make the profit ratio curve of their company’s annual report look more pleasing than a beach girl.

Secondly, many people, including those investors who were cheated through money laundering, start to consider film as something that can make them a shareholder. Meanwhile, financial and private investors are interested in investing in several major film companies, comparable to buying shares at a high price.

Such beliefs by investors mark an end to primitive methods of capital accumulation in the film industry. It has been twenty years, a whole generation, since the late ’80s when private capital first entered the Chinese film industry, which means that in several years, the red third generation and rich second generation will have a greater say in film. Nowadays, if a loser still has a pair of pants left, there’s no complete victory for the winner. On the other hand, even the poor won’t be satisfied if the winner does not defeat others completely. Take a look at which film has the longest queue, and you’ll know what I mean.

Tomorrow, Part Three: New Theaters vs. The New Grassroots Movement

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Translation by Yuqian Yan

Hail! Hail! Hail! The State of Chinese Cinema in 2009

I. Long Live the Motherland

The Founding of a Republic (dir. Han Sanping)

The Founding of the Republic reflects many demands of the film industry beyond film itself, and it has all but achieved these goals.

First of all, it reveals a reality that is shared by many other fields and industries. In the past several years, resources have been accumulated and controlled by several state-owned, monopolistic enterprises. This is a common phenomenon in the economy.

In the world of culture, different kinds of people collaborated on the one blockbuster film of 2009. For the 60th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China, this blockbuster was eventually taken over from big-name directors by the presidents of state-owned enterprises. It’s almost like the chief director of China Central TV directing the Spring Festival Gala. The only distinction of this year is that in the past fifteen years, imported blockbusters were the nightmare of Chinese films every month; in the past five years, the domestic film market was dominated by three Chinese blockbusters every year. In 2007 and 2008, domestic blockbusters such as Lust, Caution, Assembly and Warlords all had difficulties in production or in passing the censors. Luckily, there is only one domestic blockbuster in 2009; others were small productions. Moreover, this film is very safe; the government wouldn’t give the film bureau officials any trouble.

This film fully reflected a truly exceptional marketing plan. Immodestly speaking, we can achieve the American model of integrated marketing. (I don’t say “we, too, can achieve”, because no other country can achieve that. Even American economic newspapers envy us.) A standard American blockbuster takes up about one-fifth of domestic screens when it is first released. But in our country, an American blockbuster takes up three-fifths of theater screens; some domestic blockbusters can take up four-fifths. Like some people commented online, the producer of this film and film bureau officials have fully comprehended Chairman Mao’s strategy and tactics in the War of Liberation (the Chinese Civil War), concentrating superior military forces to fight a large-scale battle of annihilation. Only the security forces in Beijing during National Day are comparable to the protection of the promotion of this film.

There are two other confrontations.

The first is Han Sanping vs. Zhang Yimou. The so-called “59-year-old phenomenon” can also be found in other industries in China. The most influential figures in Chinese cinema are almost the same age as the state. They dream of brilliant success before their upcoming retirement. Mr. Han finally became the only person in the entire Chinese film circle whose popularity and power surpassed Mr. Zhang. The problem is that the pivotal moment of retirement will hugely affect Han; he certainly can’t direct the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. But Zhang can probably continue to work until China next holds the Olympics.

Han Sanming (in Still Life, dir. Jia Zhangke)

Han Sanping (director, The Founding of a Republic)

The other confrontation is Han Sanping vs. Han Sanming. Many readers might not know Han Sanming. He’s an amateur actor who plays the male protagonist in Still Life. The least reliable rumor in the film circle is that Han Sanming is Han Sanping’s brother. The person who made up this rumor is hateful, with absolutely no morality. He positions himself against Han Sanping, as well as Han Sanming, and makes an idiotic judgement on physical looks, personal background and views on film. The author of this article solemnly clarifies here: there’s no kinship between Han Sanping and Han Sanming. Our guessing only reveals our polarized self-judgement: we only have two options, we either become Han Sanping, or become Han Sanming.

Since there will be many other films on the founding of the Republic in the future, I want to remind those individual “main-melody” directors who are not able to attract big investments or film celebrities: you’ll have to come up with other special strategies. My dear readers, don’t assume that I’m making this up. A DV farmer from the south of Shanxi spent more than 50,000 yuan (7,000) dollars out of his own pocket and for over three years made an epic film on the Long March.

Zu: Warriors of Magic Mountain (2001, dir. Tsui Hark)

The special strategy, as I predict would be: in five years, these self-funded, original productions on revolutionary themes will incorporate the wuxia conventions of Jin Yong: that is to film Baota Mountain as Hua Mountain, and film Jingang Mountain as Wu Tang Mountain. In ten years, “main-melody” epic propaganda films will follow Tsui Hark’s example: that is, PLA soldiers climbing over the snowy mountains and traveling across the grasslands will be shown in the style of Zu Warriors (dir. Tsui Hark, 2001) where Emei, Kongtong, and Kunlun schools fight and compete with each other, flying in the sky and disappearing into the earth.

Many directors of small-budget “main-melody” films complain about repression and unequal competition, such as the Ye Daying’s Tiananmen Square. For me, that’s just the words of jilted women. Why don’t you sacrifice your individualism to satisfy the collectivism of the China Film Group? The Republic was founded by millions of revolutionary martyrs. This is called “I sacrifice your blood to build a new nation.” (This is adapted from Lu Xun’s famous poem “I sacrifice my blood to build a new nation.)

The Founding of the Republic tells us that as long as power and promotion work together, it’s not a problem to attract celebrities and audiences. For those who watched this film, don’t blame the celebrities as cheap and despicable. If you have seen the film, you are not any better than them.

Tomorrow, Part Two: Long Live Capital: Non-stop Financing and the Market

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The essay certainly speaks on behalf of the types of films that we at dGenerate Films cherish, and it accounts for some of the reasons we find these films so valuable to audiences around the world. Both Jia and several of these films will appear at the Asia Society through March and April.

Full essay after the break.

The Age of Amateur Cinema Will Return

(Yeyu dianying shidai jijiang zaici daolai)

Published in One Person’s Impression: Complete Guidebook to DV (Yigeren de yingxiang: DV wanquan shouce), eds. by Zhang, Xianmin and Zhang, Yaxuan, Beijing: China Youth Publishing, 2003

In a restaurant far away from downtown Pusan, Tony Rayns discussed with me some issues on films on behalf of the British magazine Sight & Sound.

For some reason, conversations about films always get people trapped into sentimental feelings. In order to get out of this mood, Tony brought up a new topic and asked me, “What do you think will become the driving force for the development of films in the future?” Without hesitation, I replied, “The age of amateur cinema will return.” This was the most truthful and vivid feeling I had, and I had been continually reinforcing my opinion every time I was asked about the prospects of films.

It certainly challenges the so-called professional filmmakers. Those who strictly follow professional principles and exhaustively describe the marketing ability they possess have long lost their power of thought. They pay too much attention to whether the film is good enough to reflect their professional competencies. For example, the picture should be as delicate as an oil painting, or the mise-en-scene is supposed to match that of Antonioni’s films; even the twinkling spotlight needs to be right on the face of the actor. They repeatedly fathom the professional mindset, cautioning themselves against any amateur act that breaks the established classical rules. Conscience and sincerity, which are crucial to filmmaking, are completely diluted by these facts.

What is left? Rigid concepts and preexisting prejudice. These people are indifferent to innovations; they are not even able to make a judgment. Ironically, they always tell other people: don’t repeat yourself. You need variation.

In fact, some directors have already been vigilant against this situation. Japanese director Oguri K?hei once expressed his worries that, though in the past ten years film production in Asia has improved to almost the same level as world-class standards, the artistic spirit of films has largely declined. During the selection process of the Hong Kong International Film Festival that took place earlier, Huang Ailing said, “What hides behind the myth of high-cost production is the loss of cultural faith.”

Turning on the TV in Korea, what I saw was the same satellite TV channels as those I got in Beijing. I was disappointed. In a few years, young people throughout Asia will probably sing the same song, be attracted to the same clothes; girls will wear the same makeup and carry the same handbag. What kind of world is this turning into? It is precisely in this cultural environment that only independent films that remain committed to the depiction of local culture can provide some cultural diversity. I feel more and more strongly that people can only achieve emotional communication and equal position through diversity. The trend of globalization will make this world become tedious.

Therefore, I say, the age of amateur cinema will return.

This is a group of real film enthusiasts who have unquenchable passion for film.

They naturally exceed the existing professional evaluation method because they are open to more promising film forms.

Their film modes are always unexpected, but the emotion and sentiments they invest in their films are always precise and palpable.

They ignore the so-called professional methods, so they have more chance to be innovative. They refuse to follow the standardized principles, so they acquire more diverse ideas and values. They free themselves from conventional customs and restraints to an infinite space for creation; at the same time, they are earnest and responsible because they persist with the conscience and conduct of intellectuals.

Translation by Yuqian Yan

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The following two titles are released and available:

Children of Marx and Coca-Cola: Chinese Avant-garde Art and Independent Cinema

by Xiaoping Lin

Children of Marx and Coca-Cola affords a deep study of Chinese avant-garde art and independent cinema from the mid-1990s to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Informed by the author’s experience in Beijing and New York—global cities with extensive access to an emergent transnational Chinese visual culture—this work situates selected artworks and films in the context of Chinese nationalism and post-socialism and against the background of the capitalist globalization that has so radically affected contemporary China. It juxtaposes and compares artists and independent filmmakers from a number of intertwined perspectives, particularly in their shared avant-garde postures and perceptions.
Xiaoping Lin provides illuminating close readings of a variety of visual texts and artistic practices, including installation, performance, painting, photography, video, and film. Throughout he sustains a theoretical discussion of representative artworks and films and succeeds in delineating a variegated postsocialist cultural landscape saturated by market forces, confused values, and lost faith. This refreshing approach is due to Lin’s ability to tackle both Chinese art and cinema rigorously within a shared discursive space. He, for example, aptly conceptualizes a central thematic concern in both genres as “postsocialist trauma” aggravated by capitalist globalization. By thus focusing exclusively on the two parallel and often intersecting movements or phenomena in the visual arts, his work brings about a fruitful dialogue between the narrow field of traditional art history and visual studies more generally.

Children of Marx and Coca-Cola will be a major contribution to China studies, art history, film studies, and cultural studies. Multiple audiences—specialists, teachers, and students in these disciplines, as well as general readers with an interest in contemporary Chinese society and culture—will find that this work fulfills an urgent need for sophisticated analysis of China’s cultural production as it assumes a key role in capitalist globalization.

30 illus.

Xiaoping Lin is associate professor in the Department of Art, Queens College, the City University of New York.

Read the introduction (PDF) or view the table of contents

Cinema, Space, and Polylocality in a Globalizing China

by Yingjin Zhang

In this milestone work, prominent China film scholar Yingjin Zhang proposes “polylocality” as a new conceptual framework for investigating the shifting spaces of contemporary Chinese cinema in the age of globalization. Questioning the national cinema paradigm, Zhang calls for comparative studies of underdeveloped areas beyond the imperative of transnationalism.

The book begins by addressing theories and practices related to space, place, and polylocality in contemporary China before focusing on the space of scholarship and urging scholars to move beyond the current paradigm and explore transnational and comparative film studies. This is followed by a chapter that concentrates on the space of production and surveys the changing landscape of postsocialist filmmaking and the transformation of China’s urban generation of directors. Next is an examination of the space of polylocality and the cinematic mappings of Beijing and a persistent “reel” contact with polylocality in hinterland China. In the fifth chapter Zhang explores the space of subjectivity in independent film and video and contextualizes experiments by young directors with various documentary styles. Chapter 6 calls attention to the space of performance and addresses issues of media and mediation by way of two kinds of playing: the first with documentary as troubling information, the second with piracy as creative intervention. The concluding chapter offers an overview of Chinese cinema in the new century and provides production and reception statistics.

Combining inspired critical insights, original observations, and new information, Cinema, Space, and Polylocality in a Globalizing China is a significant work on current Chinese film and a must-read for film scholars and anyone seriously interested in cinema more generally or contemporary Chinese culture.

34 illus.

Yingjin Zhang is director of the Chinese Studies Program and professor of Chinese comparative literature, and cultural studies at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of seven academic books in English.

Read the introduction (PDF) or view the table of contents

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Zhang Yimou

“Film Director Battles For Soul of Chinese Cinema” is the provocative title of an NPR report on Zhang Yimou’s new release A Simple Noodle Story (Sanqiang Pai’an Jingqi). Compared with the director’s early national allegories (Raise the Red Lantern; To Live) which made his name as an international arthouse auteur, the new comedy-murder movie is distinctly apolitical.

A radical remake of the Coen brothers’ 1984 neo-noir Blood Simple, Zhang’s latest work transplants the action from a Texas bar to a remote noodle shop in ancient China, and adds on to the crime thriller “a slapstick comedy with song-and-dance numbers revolving around noodle-making.” In an interview with NPR, Zhang does not deny the “commercial factors” behind his new experiment: he intends to make a “New Year film” (the Chinese equivalent of an American holiday season film) and to change his focus from the international to the domestic market.

Zhang is equally straightforward about his ambition behind the commercial turn, which the article dubs as his “battle with Hollywood for the soul of Chinese cinema.” According to the director:

Young people are the key. If they lose their interest in domestic movies, we will be in big trouble. The China’s film market will be occupied by foreigners. Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea are examples of this. The mainland is our last battlefield.

Behind this patriotism, the article also notes the director’s changed stature in China’s national imagination. The hugely popular successes in the spectacular Olympic opening ceremony in 2008 and the military parade marking China’s 60th anniversary in 2009 made him a national cultural hero, but also raised doubts “overseas” about whether Zhang had became Beijing’s “artist in residence.”

Zhang denies losing independence, arguing that censorship limits all Chinese directors equally, but his latest film has been panned after its premiere in China on Dec. 11. Half of those answering one online survey at a popular website, Sina.com, thought it was “terrible” or “worse than expected.” For China’s arguably most famous director, the leap between the political and the commercial, or the merging of the two, is not an easy one.

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Sun Spots (dir. Yang Heng)

18 films by Chinese directors or with a Chinese theme will be presented at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam, which runs from January 27 to February 7. Among these films include Oxhide II, Liu Jiayin’s follow up to her debut feature Oxhide (recently voted one of the top ten Chinese films of the past decade). Sun Spots, the second feature by Yang Heng (whose debut Betelnut is a dGenerate Films ttle) will be in competition for the VPRO Tiger Award.

City of Life and Death, Lu Chuan’s controversial big-budget feature depicting the Nanjing Massacre, has inspired a sidebar of related films, several of which date back to the time of the historic tragedy.

The full lineup of films can be found after the break.The Annunciation (Hsu Ronin, China 2010) Moving, atmospheric social realism by the young Chinese debutant is about a simple newlywed couple who have moved to the city like so many others looking for work. He really wants a child, she wants to make him happy. But how does she convince him that his sperm isn’t helping?

City of Life and Death (Lu Chuan, China 2009) Impressive chronicle in beautiful black & white about the horrors inflicted by the Japanese in 1937 after they conquered the former Chinese capital Nanjing. Lu Chuan does not only show the random nature of executions and rapes, but also the horror of a well-intentioned Japanese soldier.

Condolences (Ying Lian, China 2009) Burial rites become the mise-en-scène in which politicians, the media, a monk and an infuriated neighbour vividly portray the aftermath of an accident.

Dangerous encounters: 1st kind (Tsui Hark, Hong Kong 1980) Notorious raised middle finger of the Hong Kong New Wave, about three stupid young men who accidentally run over and kill a pedestrian and then, blackmailed by the crazy female witness, use violence to save their skins in the urban jungle.

The Eight Hundred Heroes (Ying Yunwei, China 1938) 800 soldiers of the 88th regiment against what feels like the whole of Japan’s Imperial Army – think Thermopylae, Chinese version. A splendid, visually amazing gem.

Goodbye (Song Fang, China 2008) Delicate short fiction. After an accident, Li Xin ends up with her deceased school friend’s parents. Her stay rips open old wounds.

Kun 1 Action (Wu Haohao, China 2008) Kun1 Action is a wake-up call for young people in China. With his collage of interviews, archive material and reconstructions, the film maker Wu Haohao hopes to ’save local film from degeneration’. Self assured, crazy and naughty.

March 14 2009, Hong Kong Coliseum (Hsu Chia-Wei, Taiwan 2009) In an empty concert hall, star singer Fish Leong shares her deeper thoughts on the pan-Asian tour, in which every show follows a fixed pattern.

Night & Fog (Ann Hui, Hong Kong 2009) Ann Hui’s dark realistic Night & Fog starts at the end of the story, with the brutal murder by a man of his wife and daughters. Hui gradually unmasks the idyll of the peaceful family and that of Hong Kong as the promised land for gold seekers.

Once Upon a Time Proletarian (Guo Xiaolu, UK/Germany 2009) Portrait of post-Maoist China in twelve commentaries by inhabitants of the country. Writer/film maker Guo Xialolu sketches a varied picture of a China that is still developing very rapidly, but which still doesn’t seem to have much room for individual needs. Those who can’t keep up can do little else but complain.

Oxhide II (Liu Jiayin, China 2009) The Chinese director shows herself and her parents in their apartment only with fixed camera positions, with which she revolves around the kitchen table. The rigorously minimalist story emerges in real time: the time it takes to prepare and eat Chinese dumplings together.

Protect My Country (He Feiguang, China 1939) Japanese soldiers take a Chinese village: babies get bayoneted, the elderly crucified, able men pressed into the enemy army. A classic piece of anti-Japanese agitation.

Spring Fever (Lou Ye, Hong Kong, France 2009) Impressionist film about a passionate homosexual relationship between the married intellectual Wang Ping and the transvestite Jiang Cheng. After Summer Palace, the Chinese director Lou Ye seems again to seek confrontation with the Chinese authorities.

Sun Spots (Yang Heng, Hong Kong, China 2009), nominee of VPRO Tiger Awards Successful Chinese example of minimalist cinema combines beautiful, very sharp HD images without camera movements with a story about a tragic relationship between a tattooed gangster and a hesitant girl suffering the pains of unrequited love.

Unforgettable Memory (Liu Wei, China 2009)
In China, few people want to be reminded of the events of 1989. The maker of Unforgettable Memory is still struggling with the past.

Wheat Harvest (Xu Tong, China 2008) Controversial documentary sketches the double life of the young Niu Hongmiao, who cares for her sick father in the countryside and works in Beijing as a prostitute. A picture gradually emerges of the Chinese sex industry. A world with its own language, rituals and rules.

Yasukuni (Li Ying, Japan, China 2007) The Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo was established as a place of worship for the war dead. Some two million are enshrined there – including more than a thousand convicted and oftentimes executed war criminals. Among the most controversial documentaries of the decade.

The 400 Million (Joris Ivens, USA, China 1939) A partisan documentary film on the Chinese resistance against Japan. A classic of world cinema.

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Michael Berry
UC Santa Barbara
1. Platform – Jia Zhang-ke, 2000, Hong Kong/Japan/France/Netherlands/Switzerland
2. Yi Yi – Edward Yang, 2000, Taiwan/Japan
3. Blind Shaft – Li Yang, 2003, China/Germany/Hong Kong
4. Summer Palace – Lou Ye, 2006, China
5. Though I am Gone, Hu Jie, China 2008.
6. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Ang Lee, 2000, China/Taiwan/USA
7. In the Mood for Love – Wong Kar-Wai, 2000, Hong Kong/France
8. Three Times – Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2005, Taiwan
9. Goodbye, Dragon Inn – Tsai Ming-Liang, 2003, Taiwan
10. 1428 – Du Haibin, 2009, China

Honorable Mentions:
Along the Railway – Du Haibin, 2000, China; Devils on The Doorstep – Jiang Wen, 2000, China; Somewhere Over the Dreamland – Cheng Wen-tang, 2002, Taiwan; West of the Tracks – Wang Bing, 2003, China; Café Lumière – Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2003, Taiwan/Japan (even though it is in Japanese); Infernal Affairs Trilogy – Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, 2002, 2003, Hong Kong; Kung Fu Hustle – Stephen Chow, 2004, Hong Kong/China; The World – Jia Zhang-ke, 2004/China/Japan/France; Delamu – Tian Zhuangzhuang, 2004, China; Shanghai Dreams – Wang Xiaoshuai, 2005, China; The Wayward Cloud – Tsai Ming-liang, 2005, France/Taiwan; Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles – Zhang Yimou, 2005, China; Still Life – Jia Zhangke, 2006, China; Election 1 & 2 – Johnnie To, 2005, 2006, Hong Kong; God Man Dog – Singing Chen, 2007, Taiwan; No Pudeo Visir Sin Ti – Leon Dai, 2009, Taiwan; Legend of the Mountain – King Hu, 1979 (restored complete 180 min. version, 2008), Taiwan, South Korea

Andrew Chan
Critic, Film Comment; Reverse Shot
1. Yi Yi
2. Platform
3. Three Times
4. In the Mood for Love
5. Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks
6. What Time Is It There?
7. The Other Half
8. Oxhide
9. Ghost Town
10. Everlasting Regret

Cui Zi’en
Filmmaker (Queer China; Enter the Clowns), Activist
1. Zhou Hongxiang: The Red Flag Flies
2. Yang Fudong: Seven Intellectuals in Bamboo Forest
3. Andrew Y-S Cheng: Shanghai Panic
4. Andrew Y-S Cheng: Destination Shanghai
5. Jia Zhangke: Still Life
6. Yang Jin: A Black and White Cow
7. Zhao Ye: Jalainur
8. Lv Le: Novel
9. Du Haibin: Along the Railway
10. ZHu Chuanming: Extras
11. Wang Libo: Buried

Mike D’Angelo
Film Critic
1. In the Mood for Love
2. Hero
3. Devils on the Doorstep
4. The Wayward Cloud
5. What Time Is It There?
6. Not One Less
7. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
8. Blue Gate Crossing
9. Red Cliff
10. The Orphan of Anyang

Aurelia Dubouloz
Scholar
Platform, Jia Zhangke, 2000
I Love Beijing, Ning Ying, 2001
West of the Tracks, Wang Bing, 2002
Goodbye Dragon Inn, Tsai Mingliang, 2003
Dam Street, Li Yu, 2005
Triangle, Johnnie To, Tsui hark, Ringo Lam, 2007
Crime and Punishment, Zhao Liang, 2007
1428, Du Haibin, 2009
Spring Fever, Lou Ye, 2009
The Search, Pema Tseden, 2009

Gan Xiao’er
Filmmaker (Raised from Dust)
1. Summer Palace (Liu Ye)
2. Spring Fever (Liu Ye)
3. Still Life (Jia Zhangke)
4. Floating Dust (Huang Wenhai)
5. Bing Ai (Feng Yan)
6. Platform (Jia Zhangke)
7. Oxhide (Liu Jiayin)
8. History of Chemistry 2 (Lu Chunsheng)
9. Raised from Dust(Gan Xiao’er)
10. Silent Holy Stone (Wanma Caidan)

Thomas Hart
EU-China Information Society Project
1. Still Life (Jia ZhangKe)
2. Blind Shaft (Li Yang)
3. In the Mood for Love (Wong KarWai)
4. Isabella  (Pang Ho-Cheung)
5. The world  (Jia Zhang-Ke)
6. Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles  (Zhang Yimou)
7. Lust, Caution (Ang Lee)
8. 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai)
9. Infernal Affairs  (Andrew Lau, Alan Mak)
10. Summer Palace  (Lou Ye)

Brian Hu
UCLA
1. Yi Yi (Edward Yang)
2. The World (Jia Zhang-ke)
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee)
4. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai)
5. Millennium Mambo (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
6. Lust, Caution (Ang Lee)
7. What Time is it There? (Tsai Ming-liang)
8. Summer Palace (Lou Ye)
9. Sparrow (Johnnie To)
10. My Life As McDull (Toe Yuen)

Huang Weikai
Director (Floating; Disorder)
Wong Kai-wai: Ashes of time (final version)
Wong Kar-wai: In the Mood For love
Jonnie To: Breaking News (2004)
Wai Keung Lau, Siu Fai Mak: Infernal Affairs (2002)
Feng Xiaogang: Big Shot’s Funeral (2001)
Pang Ho-cheung: You Shoot, I Shoot (2001)
Wu Wenguang: Fuck Cinema
Liu Jiayin: Oxhide
Zhang Jingwei: KJ
Huang Weikai: Disorder

Huang Wenhai
Director (Floating Dust, We)
Edward Yang: Yi Yi
Lou Ye: Summer Palace, Spring Fever
Jia Zhangke: Still LIfe, Public Space
Wanma Caidan: Search
Yang Fudong: A Strange Heaven
Wang Bin: West of the tracks.
Zhao Liang: Petition
Hu Jie: Looking for Linzhao’s Soul

La Frances Hui
Programmer, Asia Society
Face
Platform
Kung Fu Hustle
In the Mood for Love
The World
Goodbye, Dragon Inn
Infernal Affairs
Blind Shaft
In Search of Lin Zhao’s Soul
Delamu

Jian Yi
Filmmaker (Super, Girls!; Bamboo Shoots)
Documentary:
Chinese Villagers’ Documentary Project (Wu Wenguang)
Survival Song (Yu Guangyi)

Narrative Films:
Platform (Jia Zhangke)
Unknown Pleasures (Jia Zhangke)
Bamboo Shoots (Jian Yi)

A.S. Keijser
Leiden University
1 A One and a Two (Yi Yi), d: Edward Yang / Yang Dechang, TW 2000
2 Infernal Affairs (Wujiandao), d: Lau Wai-Keung & Alan Mak, HK 2002
3 I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (Hei yanquan), d: Tsai Ming-Liang, TW/Malaysia 2006
4 Still Life (Sanxia haoren), d: Jia Zhang-ke, PRC 2006
5 Oxhide (Niupi), d: Liu Jiayin, PRC 2005
6 Us Two (Women lia), d: Ma Liwen, PRC 2005 (am not sure about the English title of this film…)
7 In the Mood for Love (Huayang nianhua), r: Wong Kar-wai, HK 2000
8 Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Tiexiqu), d: Wang Bing, PRC 2003
9 Suzhou River (Suzhouhe), d: Lou Ye, PRC 2000
10 Devils on the Doorstep (Guizi laile), d: Jiang Wen, PRC 2000

Anthony Kaufman
Film Critic, IndieWire
“Platform” (2000)
“Unknown Pleasures” (2002)
“The World” (2004)
“Still Life” (2006)
“Dong” (2006)
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000)
“Green Hat” (2003)
“Blind Shaft” (2003)
“In the Mood for Love” (2000)
“Quitting” (2001)

Robert Koehler
Film Critic / Programmer, AFI Festival, Variety
1. PLATFORM (Jia Zhang-ke)
2. UNKNOWN PLEASURES (Jia Zhang-ke)
3. THE WORLD (Jia Zhang-ke)
4. TIMBER GANG (Yu Guangyi)
5. TIEXI DISTRICT: WEST OF THE TRACKS (Wang Bing)
6. NIGHT TRAIN (Diao Yinan)
7. FENGMING: A CHINESE MEMOIR (Wang Bing)
8. STILL LIFE (Jia Zhang-ke)
9. SURVIVAL SONG (Yu Guangyi)
10. OXHIDE (Liu Jiayin)

Shelly Kraicer
Film Critic, Programmer, Vancouver International Film Festival, Cinema-Scope
Suzhou River (Suzhou he), Lou Ye, 2000
Durian Durian (Liulian piaopiao), Fruit Chan, 2000
In the Mood For Love (Huayang nianhua), Wong Kar-wai, 2000
Platform (Zhantai), Jia Zhangke, 2001
My Life as McDull (Maidou gushi), Toe Yuen, Brian Tse, Alice Mak, 2001
What Time is it There? (Ni neibian ji dian?), Tsai Ming-liang, 2001
West of Tracks (Tiexi qu), Wang Bing, 2002
PTU, Johnnie To, 2003 (actually, the entire body of Johnnie To’s work in the decade, taken together, constitutes a “masterwork”: I choose PTU as a representative)
Three Times (Zuihao de shiguang), Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2005
Oxhide 2 (Niupi 2), Liu Jiayin, 2009

Kevin Lawrence
China Institute
1. What Time Is It There? (2001, dir. by Tsai Ming-liang) – no movie has ever made me swing from laughter to crying in less time than it takes to type this sentence (except maybe Tsai’s The Hole).
2. Yi Yi (2000, dir. by Edward Yang) – a masterpiece.
3. The Wayward Cloud (2004, dir. by Tsai Ming-liang) – one of the most controlled works of art about rage and sex and sex and rage—how could I not admire this film even if on some reflection I have absolutely despised it?
4. Three Times (2006, dir. by Hou Hsiao-hsien) – the first 1/3 of this film is some of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s best work ever (and that is very high praise!)
5. The World (2004, dir. Jia Zhangke) – I feel like everyone will chosePlatform as their top pick, but for me that movie feels very 90s; The World issquarely situated in the 21st century.
6. Kung Fu Hustle (2004, dir. by Stephen Chow) – my favorite superhero film so far!
7. Blind Shaft (2003, dir. by Li Yang) – there are many worthy realist films from young 21st century Chinese directors, and this one is edited verysmartly.
8. Lust, Caution (2007, dir. by Ang Lee) – what an unexpected surprise coming from Ang Lee and being (loosely) based on a Zhang Ailing short story. I think the psychology of occupation and betrayal was very timelyand handled quite nicely.
9. Visage/Face (2009, dir. by Tsai Ming-liang) – I couldn’t resist putting another Tsai Ming-liang film on here (could just as well have been Goodbye,Dragon Inn or I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone); this film definitely proves Tsai is still thinking/digging deep and growing, even as he returns to familiar tropes.
10. In the Mood for Love (2001, dir. by Wong Kar-wai) – such a guilty pleasure—I could watch Tony Leung smoke a cigarette all day!

Dennis Lim
Editor, Moving Image Source
1. Platform
2. In the Mood for Love
3. Goodbye Dragon Inn
4. Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks
5. Still Life
6. I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
7. Unknown Pleasures
8. Survival Song
9. Millennium Mambo
10. Oxhide

Greg Louvel
Film Critic
Jiang Wen – Devils at the Doorstep
Jia Zhangke –  The World
Jia Zhangke – Still Life
Edward Yang – Yi Yi
Wong Kar Wai – My Blueberry Nights
Li Yang – Blind Shaft
Wang Xiaoshuai – Beijing Bicycle
Zhang Yimou – Three Guns / A Simple Noodle Story
Jia Zhangke – Unknown Pleasures

Edwin Mak
Film Critic/ Blogger
West of the Tracks, Wang Bing
Platform, Jia Zhangke
Devils on the Doorstep, Jiang Wen
A One and A Two, Edward Yang
PTU: Into the Perilous Night, Johnnie To
In The Mood For Love, Wong Kar-wai
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, – Ang Lee
The Wayward Cloud, Tsai Ming-liang
Shaolin Soccer, Stephen Chow
The Warlords, Peter Chan

Jason McGrath
University of Minnesota
Devils on the Doorstep (Jiang Wen, 2000)
Platform (Jia Zhangke, 2000)
In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)
Chicken Poets (Meng Jinghui, 2002)
Infernal Affairs (Andrew Lau & Alan Mak, 2002)
West of the Tracks (Wang Bing, 2003)
Pirated Copy (He Jianjun, 2004)
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (Lu Chuan, 2004)
I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (Tsai Ming-liang, 2006)
Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, 2007)

Jia-yan Mi
The College of New Jersey
1. Devils on the Doorstep (Jian Wen, 2000)
2. Suzhou River (Lou Ye, 2000)
3. In the Moods of Love (Wong Kar Wai, 2000)
4. What Time Is It Over There? (Tsai Mingliang, 2001)
5. Yi yi: A One and a Two… (Edward Yang, 2001
6. Millennium Mambo (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2001)
7. Still Life (Jiazhang Ke, 2006)
8. Infernal Affairs (Wai-keung Lau, 2002)
9. Peacock (Gu Changwei, 2005)
10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000)

William Phuan
Programmer, Singapore
Beijing Bicycle
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
In the Mood for Love
Suzhou River
Yi Yi
What Time Is It Over There
West of the Tracks
Springtime in a Small Town
Platform
Infernal Affairs

Honorable Mention: 2046; Goodbye Dragon Inn; PTU; Uniform; The Shaft; Kung Fu Hustle; Election; Three Times; I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone; Still Life; Summer Palace; Taking Father Home; City of Life and Death; The Message; Unknown Pleasures; The World; Red Cliff 1 & 2

James Quandt
Programmer, Cinematheque Ontario; Toronto International Film Festival
It all but kills me to proffer a list with only one film by Jia and Tsai, as I admired so many of their films this decade, but otherwise my list would be all established masters, so I have forcibly made space for several films by newcomers. No ranking implied:

Orphan of Anyang – Wang Chao
Platform – Jia Zhang-ke
What Time is it There? – Tsai Ming-liang
West of the Tracks – Wang Bing
In the Mood for Love – Wong Kar Wai
Oxhide & Oxhide II – Liu Jiayin
Uniform – Diao Yi’nan
Three Times (the first part) – Hou Hsiao-hsien
Springtime in a Small Town – Tian Zhuangzhuang

Toss-up: Suzhou River – Lou Ye or Grain in Ear – Zhang Lu

Tony Rayns
Programmer, Vancouver International Film Festival
BAOBER IN LOVE (Li Shaohong)
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar Wai)
MID-AFTERNOON BARKS (Zhang Yuedong)
THE NARROW PATH (Cui Zi’en)
A ONE AND A TWO … (Edward Yang)
OXHIDE (Liu Jiayin)
PETITION (Zhao Liang)
SPRING FEVER (Lou Ye)
STILL LIFE (Jia Zhangke)
SWEET FOOD CITY (Gao Wendong)

Bérénice Reynaud
California Institute for the Arts
Unranked (by year of release)
Wong Kar-Wai: In The Mood For Love (2000)
Yi Yi – Edward Yang, 2000, Taiwan/Japan
Devils on The Doorstep – Wen Jiang, 2000, China
Millennium Mambo – Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2001, Taiwan/France
Wang Bing: West Of The Tracks (2004)
Liu Jiayin: Oxhide (2005), and Oxhide 2 (2009)
The Other Half – Ying Liang/Peng Shan, 2006, China
Jia Zhangke: Still Life (2006)
Perfect Life – Emily Tang, 2008, China
City of Life and Death – Lu Chuan, 2009, China

Peter Rist
Zhantai (Platform), Jia Zhangke (P.R. China/Hong Kong/France/Japan)
Suzhou he (Suzhou River), Lou Ye (China/Germany)
Fa yeung nin wa (In the Mood for Love), Wong Kar-wai (Hong Kong/France)
Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks, Wang Bing (China), documentary, digital
Cha ma gu dao xi lie (Delamu), Tian Zhuangzhuang (China/Japan), digital, doc.
McDull, Prince de la Bun, Toe Yuen (Hong Kong), animation
Zui hao de shi guang (Three Times), Hou Hsiao-hsien (Taiwan/France)
Hei yan quan (I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone), Tsai Ming-liang
(Malaysia/China/Taiwan/France/Austria)
Binglang (Betelnut), Yang Heng (China), digital
Niu pi er (Oxhide II), Liu Jiayin (China), digital

Jason Sanders
Pacific Film Archive, UC Berkeley
Yi Yi: A One and a Two, dir. Edward Yang, Taiwan, 2000.
The World, dir. Jia Zhang-ke, China, 2004.
In the Mood for Love, dir. Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 2000. (Seems so long ago)
Goodbye Dragon Inn, dir. Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan, 2003.
Fuck Cinema, dir. Wu Wenguang, China, 2006.
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol, dir. Lu Chuang, China, 2004.
Tang Poetry, dir. Zhang Lu, China, 2003.
The Other Half, dir. Ying Liang, China, 2006.
Tie Xe Qui: West of the Tracks, dir. Wang Bing, China, 2003.
Infernal Affairs Trilogy, dir. Alan Mak & Lau Wai-keung, Hong Kong, 2002-2003.

Runners-up: Crazy Stone, dir. Hao Ling, 2006; Little Moth, dir. Peng Tao, 2007; Oxhide, dir. Liu Jiayin, 2004; Flower in the Pocket, dir. Liew Seng Tat, Malaysia; Still Life, dir. Jia Zhang-ke, 2007; I Love Beijing, Ning Ying, 2001; 15, dir. Royston Tan, Singapore, 2003

Michael Sicinski
University of Houston
1. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai)
2. STILL LIFE (Jia Zhang-ke)
3. DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP (Jiang Wen)
4. YI YI (Edward Yang)
5. KUNG FU HUSTLE (Stephen Chiau)
6. EXILED (Johnnie To)
7. THE SUN ALSO RISES (Jiang Wen)
8. BLUE GATE CROSSING (Yee Chin-yen)
9. HERO (Zhang Yimou)
10. KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL (Lu Chuan)

J.P. Sniadecki
Harvard University
Platform, dir. Jia Zhangke
Suzhou River, dir. Luo Ye
Unknown Pleasures, dir. Jia Zhangke
Wayward Cloud, dir. Tsai Ming Liang
West of the Rails, dir. Wang Bing
Bing’Ai, dir. Feng Yan
Outside, dir. Wang Wo
Petition, dir. Zhao Liang
In the Mood for Love, dir. Xu Ruotao
Ghost Town, dir. Zhao Dayong

Mingwei Song
Wellesley College
The World (Jia Zhangke, 2005; PRC)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000; Taiwan)
Yi Yi: a One and a Two (Edward Yang, 2000; Taiwan)
Seafood (Zhu Wen, 2002; PRC)
Durian, Durian (Fruit Chan, 2000; Hong Kong)
Devils on the Doorstep (Jiang Wen, 2000; PRC)
Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, 2007; Taiwan)
Three Times (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2005; Taiwan)
In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000; Hong Kong)
Summer Palace (Lou Ye, 2006; PRC)

Chuck Stephens
Film Critic, Film Comment, Filmmaker
Uniform
Seafood
In the Mood for Love
2046
Goodbye Dragon Inn
Millennium Mambo
Lan yu
Unknown Pleasures
West of the Tracks
Pangyau (Amir Muhammad)

Honorable Mentions: All Tomorrow’s Parties; Useless; Mid-Afternoon Barks; Little Moth; The Orphan of Anyang; Cry Woman; Rain Dogs (Ho Yuhang); The Beautiful Washing Machine (James Lee); Gubra (Yasmin Ahmad);

David Walsh
Film Critic, World Socialist Web Site
Platform, Jia Zhangke (China, 2000—but also, Unknown Pleasures, 2002; The World, 2004)
Good Cats, Ying Liang (China, 2008—but also Taking Father Home, 2006; The Other Half, 2006)
Little Moth, Peng Tao (China, 2007)
Blind Shaft, Lang Yi (China, 2003)
Cry Woman, Liu Bingjian (China, 2002)
Bing Ai, Feng Yan (China, 2007)
Durian, Durian, Fruit Chan (Hong Kong, 2000—but also, Little Cheung, 1999—I saw it in 2000!)
River People, He Jianjun (China, 2009)
Grain in Ear, Zhang Lu (China, 2005)
The Orphan of Anyang, Wang Chao (China, 2001)
An eleventh would be Yi Yi, Edward Yang (Taiwan, 2000)
And a twelfth, Bundled, Singing Chen (Taiwan, 2000)
Wang Bing deserves mention, if not a more exacting editor, for West of the Tracks (China, 2003) and Fengming: A Chinese Memoir (China, 2007)

Ban Wang
Stanford University
1. Kekexili
2 Kongque (Peacock)
3 Hero
4 24 City
5 Platform
6 Postmen in the Mountains
7 Suzhou River
8 The Road (Fangxiang zhi lv)
9 Blindshaft
10. Jijie Hao (Assembly)

Wang Ge
Film Critic, The Beijinger
Still Life, 2006, Jia Zhangke, China
Devil On The Doorstep, 2000, Jiang Wen
Cape No.7, 2008, Wei Desheng, Taiwan
How Are You, Gongliao?, 2004, Cui Suxin, Taiwan
Blind Shaft, 2003, Li Yang, China
Peacock, 2005, Gu Changwei, China
Bodyguards and Assassins, 2009, Chen Desen, Hong Kong/China
Yi Yi, 2000, Edward Yang, Taiwan
Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks, 2003, Wang Bin, China
Trivial Matters, 2007, Peng Haoxiang, Hong Kong

Qi Wang
Georgia Institute of Technology
And the Spring Comes (dir. Gu Changwei)
Butterfly (dir. Yan Yan Mak)
Devils on the Doorstep (dir. Jiang Wen)
Orphan of Anyang (dir. Wang Chao)
The Other Half (dir. Ying Liang)
Platform (dir. Jia Zhangke)
Suzhou River (dir. Lou Ye)
Though I Am Gone (dir. Hu Jie, documentary)
West of the Tracks (dir. Wang Bing, documentary)
Yi Yi (dir. Edward Yang)

Wanma Caidan
Filmmaker (The Silent Holy Stones; The Search)
Yi Yi (Edward Yang)
Taking Father Home (Ying Liang)
Peacock (Gu Changwei)
Delamu (Tian Zhuangzhuang)
Spring Fever (Lou Ye)
Platform (Jia Zhangke)
Lust and Caution (An lee)
Blind Shaft (Li Yang)
Devils on the Door Step (Jiang Wen)
Beijing Bicycle (Wang Xiaoshui)

Xu Tong
Filmmaker (Wheat Harvest; Fortune Teller)
1. Summer Palace (Liu Ye)
2. Rumination (Xu Ruotao)
3. Good Cat (Ying Liang)
4. Along the Railway (Du Haibing)
5. San Li Dong (Lin Xin)
6. Dr. Ma’s Clinic (Cong Feng)
7. Crime and Punishment (Zhao Liang)
8. Using (Zhao Hao)
9. Two Seasons (Zhao Xun)
10: Wheat Harvest (Xu Tong)

Yan Yu
Filmmaker (Before the Flood)
West of the Tracks (Wang Bin)
Summer Palace (Lou Ye)
Still Life (Jia Zhangke)
Incense (Ning Hao)
Blind Mountain (Li Yang)

Chi-hui Yang
Programmer, San Francisco Asian American Film Festival
Grain In Ear, Zhang Lu
Summer Palace, Lou Ye
Yi Yi, Edward Yang
Jailanur, Zhao Ye
Goodbye Dragon Inn, Tsai Ming-liang
Conjugation, Emily Tang
Dumplings, Fruit Chan
My Life As McDull, Brian Tse
West of the Tracks, Wang Bing
Quitting, Zhang Yang
Still Life, Jia Zhang-ke

Yang Jin
Filmmaker (The Black and White Milk Cow; Er Dong)
Survival Song (Yu Guangyi)
West of the Tracks (Wang Bin)
Classmate (Lin Xin)
Petition (Zhao Liang)
Mr. Ma’s clinic (Cong Feng)
Platform (Jia Zhangke)
Seven Intellectuals in the Bamboo Forest (Yang Fudong)
Rain Clouds over Wushan (Zhang Ming)
Chong Qing + Li Li (Zhang Lv)
The Other Half (Ying Liang)

Emilie Yeh
Hong Kong Baptist University
Yi Yi
The Wayward Cloud
Still Life
2046
Millennium Mambo
In the Mood for Love
Lust, Caution
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Summer Palace
West of the Tracks

Ying Liang
Director
Platform (Jia Zhangke)
Oxhide (Liu Jiayin)
Spring Fever (Lou Ye)
Karamay ?Xu Xin)
Aoluguya (Gu Tao)
Classmates (Lin Xin)
West of the Tracks (Wang Bin)
Wheat Harvest (Xu Tong)
Buried (Wang libo)
Before the Flood (Yan Yu)

Neil Young
Film Critic; Programmer, Bradford Film Festival
1. Blind Mountain (2007; Mang shan) by LI Yang
2. Condolences (2009) by YING Liang — short
3. Night Train (2007; Ye che) by DIAO Yi’nan
4. Taking Father Home (2005; Bei yazi de nanhai) by YING Liang
5. How Is Your Fish Today? (2006; Jin tian de yu zen me yang?) by Xiaolu GUO
6. The Other Half (2006; Ling yi ban) by YING Liang
7. Kung Fu Hustle (2004; Kung fu aka Gong fu) by Stephen CHOW
8. Little Moth (2007; Xue chan) by PENG Tao
9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000; Wu hu zang long) by Ang LEE
10. Timber Gang (2007; Mu bang aka The Last Lumberjacks) by YU Guangyi

Then (in alphabetical order): Accident (2009; Yi ngoi) by CHEANG Pou-Soi; I Love Lakers (2009) by YING Liang — short; In the Mood For Love (2000, Fa yeung nin wa) by WONG Kar-Wai; Seafood (2001; Haixian) by ZHU Wen; Survival Song (2008; Xiao li zi) by YU Guangyi

Zhao Liang
Filmmaker (Crime and Punishment, Petition)
To Live is Better than to Die (Chen Weijun)
Before the Flood (Li Yifan, Yan Yu)
Crime and Punishment (Zhao Liang)
Petition (Zhao Liang)
Looking for Lin Zhao’s Soul (Hu Jie)
Outside(Wang Wo)
Timber Gang (Yu Guangyi)
Bingai (Feng Yan)
Dr.Ma’s Country Clinic (Cong Feng)
The Fortune Teller (Xu Tong)

This is actually Zhu Rikun’s list, but I agree with it.

Angela Zito
New York University
Along the Railroad 2000 Du Haibin
This Happy Life 2002 Jiang Yue
DV China 2002 Zheng Desheng
West of the Tracks 2003 Wang Bing
Dr. Zhang 2005 Huang Ruxiang
The Bimo Records 2006 Yang Rui
The Villager Documentary Project, from 2006 onward, Wu Wenguang
Bing Ai 2007 Feng Yan
Although I am Gone 2007 Hu Jie
Petition: 2008 Zhao Liang

Special mention to Jiang Hu 1999, Wu Wenguang (I just think of Jiang Hu as founding a style for the decade)

Related posts

• Best Chinese-Language Films of the 2000s: Poll Results (11)
• Shelly’s Top Ten Mainland Chinese films of the 2000s (0)

Oxhide 2 (dir. Liu Jiayin)

On Wednesday, dGenerate Films will publish the results of its poll of Chinese filmmakers and experts on the top Chinese language films of the past decade. While the poll includes all Chinese language films, we’d like to take a moment to focus on films from Mainland China. Here are Shelly Kraicer’s top ten Mainland Chinese films of the 2000s, with some observations on key developments in the field over the past ten years. Shelly will give a slightly different list that includes all Chinese-language cinema for the official poll.

—–

The editors of the dGenerate Films blog have asked me to come up with a list of the ten best Chinese films of the decade (2000-2009). I’ve thought about this for several days, and would prefer to call these the ten films from China that I consider to be the most important from the last ten years. This shifts the emphasis from “best”, from some difficult-do-objectify criterion of excellence to one of significance. Equally non-objective, to be sure, but I feel more comfortable with significance as a subjective criterion. This is for several reasons: one in particular is that “best” seems at least to imply a criterion of professional polish, of mastery, that I would not want to over-value while surveying recent Chinese film.

In fact, the key trend, if I can call it that, of the last decade of Chinese filmmaking seems to be precisely its de-professionalization. Filmmaking has moved beyond the academy, the Beijing Film Academy to be exact, responsible for so many filmmakers superbly trained in their crafts, and towards something much more broadly based and open, dominated by amateur digital filmmaking. These young, often self-trained filmmakers aren’t necessarily making the most well-crafted films out there, but their experiments are often among the most important things happening in cinema in this part of the world.

Rather than ranking films (which is sort of silly: what makes #6 better than #7?), I’d like to group my choices into three larger sets, as follows:

Three masterpieces:

Platform (Zhantai), Jia Zhangke, 2001
Jia’s masterpiece, so far: beautiful moving, profound: the closest cinema in the PRC has come yet to its own grand generational narrative

West of Tracks (Tiexi qu), Wang Bing, 2002
A film that changed the way we see China: a cinema monument that defines the close of an era

Oxhide 2 (Niupi 2), Liu Jiayin, 2009
A structuralist experiment with a narrative core: and Liu makes these two apparent opposites seem simply to be the same: funny and profound.

Seven more that stand out:

Suzhou River (Suzhou he), Lou Ye, 2000
Lou’s most accomplished poetic fusion of style and content

Looking for Lin Zhao’s Soul (Xunzhao Lin Zhao de linghun), Hu Jie, 2005
Morally devastating, emotionally eviscerating, a testament to the courage of both its subject and its director

Still Life (Sanxia haoren), Jia Zhangke, 2006
Jia’s formal control contains fabulist touches and a staggeringly comprehensive intellectual apparatus

The Sun Also Rises (Taiyang zhaochang shengqi), Jiang Wen, 2007
Mysteriously beautiful, masterful even in its confusion (or is it ours, facing something so new we don’t yet know how to read it?)

Jalainur (Zhalainuo’er), Zhao Ye, 2008
China’s youngest poet of cinema: light, shadow, colour, steam and snow.

The Search (Xunzhao Zhimei Gengdeng), Wanma Caidan, 2009
So understated is this fable of making cinema (and love) that its sorrow and rage speak softly, all the more powerfully

Petition (Shangfang), Zhao Liang, 2009
China’s other great long form new documentary, with a political daring and commitment to the real that, at the limit, transmutes reality into something shocking (the 316 minute long version)

Other films of great significance this decade:

Orphan of Anyang (Anyang ying’er), Wang Chao, 2001
Seafood (Haixian), Zhu Wen (2001)
Fish and Elephant (Jinnian xiatian), Li Yu, 2001
Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest (Zhulin qi xian), Yang Fudong, 2003
Tang Poetry (Tangshi), Zhang Lu, 2004
South of the Clouds (Yunde nanfang), Zhu Wen, 2004
A World Without Thieves (Tianxia wuzei), Feng Xiaogang, 2004
Oxhide (Niupi), Liu Jiayin, 2005
Thirteen Princess Trees (Shisan ke paotong), Lu Yue, 2006
Yasukuni (Jingguo shenshe), Li Ying, 2007
The Other Half (Ling yiban), Ying Liang, 2007
Little Moth (Xue chan), Peng Tao, 2007
Survival Song (Xiao Lizi), Yu Guangyi, 2008
24 City (24 chengji), Jia Zhangke, 2008
Perfect Life (Wanmei shenghuo), Emily Tang, 2008
Sun Spots (Guang ban), Yang Heng, 2009

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