La Biennale di Venezia and Jaeger-LeCoultre announce that the great Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Hero, Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou; twice winner of the Golden Lion in Venice, in 1992 with The Story of Qiu Ju and in 1999 with Not One Less) has been awarded the 2018 Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker of the 75th Venice International Film Festival (August 29th to September 8th, 2018), dedicated to a figure who has left a particularly original mark on contemporary cinema.
The award will be conferred to Zhang Yimou on 6 September 2018 in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema), before the world premiere screening Out of Competition of his new film Ying (Shadow). The Director of the Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera says, “Zhang Yimou is not only one of the most important directors in contemporary cinema, but with his eclectic production, he has represented the evolution of global language of film, and at the same time, the exceptional growth of Chinese cinema. Zhang Yimou has been a pioneer thanks to his capacity to translate authors, stories and the richness of Chinese culture in general into a unique and unmistakable visual style.
Ying (Shadow) is a martial arts (wuxia) film about the conflict between two feudal groups. In China, during the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280 circa A.D.), an exiled king and his people develop a plot to regain control of their land. The events are told from the points of view of the king, his sister, his commander, the women trapped in the royal palace and a common citizen.
