Wang Xiaoshuai

Infobox Person


image_size = 150px
name = Wang Xiaoshuai
caption =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1966|5|22|mf=y
birth_place = Shanghai, China
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Director, Screenwriter, Actor
spouse =

Wang Xiaoshuai (zh-stp|s=linktext|王|小|帅|t=王小帥|p=Wáng Xiăoshuài) (born May 22, 1966) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter and occasional actor. He is commonly grouped under the loose association of filmmakers known as the "Sixth Generation" or "Urban Generation" of the Cinema of China.cite web | url = http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/wang.html | title = Wang Xiaoshuai| accessdate = 2007-07-29| author = Kochan, Dror|date= September, 2003 | publisher ="Senses of Cinema"]

He also served as a member of the jury of the BigScreen Italia Film Festival 2006, held in Kunming, Yunnan, China.

Early life and education

Wang Xiaoshuai was born in 1966 in Shanghai but spent the first thirteen years of his life in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province in southwestern China as a result of upheaval during the Cultural Revolution. While in Guiyang, Wang became interested in and began studying painting. [cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/NM-e/82622.htm|title= A Trip Through Wang Xiaoshuai’s Film World| accessdate=2007-07-29|author=Li Xiao and Daragh Moller|publisher = China.org] By 1979, he and his family had moved to Wuhan. When he was 15, Wang moved to Beijing where he attended the Central Art Academy Middle School to study painting before eventually studying directing at the Beijing Film Academy.

Directorial career

After his graduation from the Beijing Film Academy, Wang spent some time working under the PRC studio system before starting out on his own. His first film, "The Days" (1993), was an independent feature shot on the weekends in Beijing and starring Wang’s friends as two artists. He followed up "The Days" with "Frozen" (filmed in 1994, but not released until 1997). "Frozen", another foray into the art world of Beijing was made under the pseudonym of "Wu Ming" (literally, "No Name" or "Anonymous"). In contrast to both "Frozen" and "The Days", which both took place in Beijing, Wang’s next film, "So Close to Paradise" (1997) saw him return to Wuhan to film a story of two migrant workers who become involved in a kidnapping.

Wang followed up "Paradise" with the family comedy "The House" in 1999.

Despite the numerous films to his credit at this point, it was not until "Beijing Bicycle" that Wang rose to truly international success. The winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, "Beijing Bicycle" wowed critics with its story of a youth's search for his stolen bicycle, particularly with its shades of Vittorio De Sica's 1948 "The Bicycle Thieves".

After the success of "Beijing Bicycle", Wang made "Drifters" (2003) which screened at the Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Prix Un Certain Regard, though it failed win any prizes. "Shanghai Dreams" (2005), however, managed to win Cannes's Prix du Jury award.

2008 saw the premiere of Wang's newest film, "In Love We Trust" (also known as "Left Right") in the Berlin Film Festival. A modern drama about a divorced couple, the film had missed a scheduled showing at both the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Wang's next planned project, "11 Flowers" recently won the Pusan Promotion Prize or PPP for $20,000. [cite web|url=http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/4675/1/|title=Wang wins top prize at PPP closing|author = Schilling, Mark|publisher="Variety" | accessdate=2007-10-12|date=2007-10-12]

Filmography

As director

As actor

Notes

External links

*imdb name|id=0911075|name=Wang Xiaoshuai
*amg name|id=2:200964|name=Wang Xiaoshuai
* [http://www.dianying.com/en/person/WangXiaoshuai Wang Xiaoshuai] at the Chinese Movie Database
* [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/wang.html Wang Xiaoshuai] at Senses of Cinema
* [http://www.bigscreenitalia.com BigScreen Festival] homepage