Biography

Wang Xiaoshuai (Director, Writer, Producer)

Wang Xiaoshuai is one of very few masters who remains true to his art in spite of rampant commercialism in the Chinese film market. Evoking the trauma of ordinary Chinese people caught in extraordinary times, his works span different eras, yet consistently reflect a strong social conscience.

Born in 1966, he was a graduate of Beijing Film Academy. At 27, he emerged as one of the key Sixth Generation directors with his debut feature The Days (1993) ,it was selected as one of the best 100 films of all time by the BBC in 1995. He followed up with Frozen (1996) and So Close to Paradise (1998), the later premiering in the Un certain regard section in Cannes. Wang's gritty depiction of listless youth in a time of bewildering social changes earned him international critical acclaim, but none of his early films could be officially released at home. Beijing Bicycle (2001) won the Grand Jury Silver Bear in Competition at the Berlinale, for a stunningly fresh image of Chinese teenagers negotiating the class gap in a new age of materialism.

Wang's works have competed in Cannes Film Festival four times, three times in the Berlinale, and also at Venice and San Sebastian film festivals. For his artistic accomplishments, he has received many distinguished honors notably the Grand Jury Prize for Shanghai Dreams (2005) in the Cannes Main Competition and the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for In Love We Trust (2008). His recent work Red Amnesia (2014) was selected in competition for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival, and the latest title So Long, My Son (2019) won two Silver Bears for the Best Actor and Actress at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, both examine the far-reaching consequences of the past on the present.

Filmography The Days (1993) Frozen (1996) So Close to Paradise (1998) Suburban Dreams (2000) Beijing Bicycle (2001) Drifters (2003) Shanghai Dreams (2005) In Love We Trust (2008) Chongqing Blues (2010) 11 Flowers (2011) Red Amnesia (2014) So Long, My Son (2019) Documentary: Chinese Portrait (2018) Short film: After the War (2001) The Cornfield (2015) Reflection (2017)
- IMDb mini biography by: Dongchun Films