Ang Lee /李安 Directors: Ang Lee
Born in 1954 in Pingtung, Taiwan, Ang Lee has become one of today’s greatest contemporary filmmakers. Ang graduated from the National Taiwan College of Arts in 1975 and then came to the U.S. to receive a B.F.A. Degree in Theatre/Theater Direction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Masters Degree in Film Production at New York University. At NYU, he served as Assistant Director on Spike Lee’s student film, Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983). After Lee wrote a couple of screenplays, he eventually appeared on the film scene with Pushing Hands(1992) (aka Pushing Hands), a dramatic-comedy reflecting on generational conflicts and cultural adaptation, centering on the metaphor of the grandfather’s Tai-Chi technique of “Pushing Hands". ……
George Lucas Directors: George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California. His father was a stationery store owner and he had three siblings. During his late teen years, he went to Downey High School and was very much interested in drag racing. He planned to become a professional race-car driver. However, a terrible car accident just after his high school graduation ended that dream permanently. The accident changed his views on life. He decided to attend Modesto Junior College before enrolling in the University of Southern California film school. As a film student, he made several short films including THX-1138: 4EB (Electronic Labyinth) which won first prize at the 1967-68 National Student Film Festival. In 1967, he was awarded a scholarship by Warner Brothers to observe the making of Finian’s Rainbow (1968) which was being directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Lucas and Coppola became good friends and formed American Zoetrope in 1969. The company’s first project was Lucas’ full-length version of THX 1138 (1971). In 1971, Coppola went into production for The Godfather (1972), and Lucas formed his own company, Lucasfilm Ltd. In 1973, he wrote and directed the ……
Kar Wai Wong/王家衛 Directors: Kar Wai Wong
Kar Wai Wong was born on July 17, 1956 in Shanghai, China. He is a writer and director, known for In the Mood for Love (2000), My Blueberry Nights (2007) and The Grandmaster (2013). He is married to Esther. They have one child.
Often casts Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Cheung in his filmsOften wears sunglassesOpening and closing credits against a red or blue backdropAbstract, abrupt and ambiguous endings with the characters left with ambivalent feelings at the end, leaving the outcome “post-ending" to the viewer’s choice and interpretationUsage of flip clocks to show the time in particular scenesMultiple narrators are frequently shown in his films with mostly the thoughts of the respective character being expressed via his/her narrationUses a lot of symbolism or visually metaphorical situations to depict the moods of his characters in various situations while they are doing apparently mundane things on-screenDull-lit &/or color-filtered-lit roomsFrequent usage of time-lapse photographyQuick freeze-frames to emphasize the specific important moments in the middle of some scenesIn his films, characters are shown having a conversation
Zhang Yimou/ 張藝謀 Directors: Zhang Yimou/ 張藝謀
Yimou Zhang was born on November 14, 1951 in Xi’an, Shaanxi, China. He is a director and actor, known for Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006).
Often works with the actress Li GongHis films often explores the dark side of life in small Chinese rural communities.Most of his films begin with the title displayed in Chinese calligraphy style.
Attended the Beijing Film Academy, Beijing, ChinaPart of China’s Fifth Generation of filmmakers, who began making films after the Cultural Revolution. Others from this group include Chen Kaige and Jinzhan Zhang.A former photographerMember of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1993Chief director of opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.Jury president of 2007 Venice Film Festival.Interviewed in “World Directors in Dialogue" by Bert Cardullo (Scarecrow Press, 2011).He was fined $1.2 million for having 3 kids, which violates China’s family-planning laws.
Wei Te-Sheng/ 魏德聖 Directors: Wei Te-Sheng/ 魏德聖
Born in 1969, Te-Sheng’s film career began when he got a job in a small production house. Then he became an assistant in Edward Yang’s film studio in 1995. When Yang was filming “Mahjong" (1996), he was promoted to assistant director from a grip assistant. From 1995 to 1998, he had shot shorts including “Face in the Evening" (1995), “Three Dialogues" (1996) and “Before Dawn" (1997), and all three films had won Golden Harvest Award for Film and Digital Video. Moreover, his 1999 16 mm film “About July" won great reviews from film critics in Taiwan, and was honored with a Special Mention from the Alcan Dragons And Tigers Award For Young Cinema at the Vancouver International Film Festival. He was also the associate producer of “Double Vision" (2002), produced by Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia. In 2004, he raised 2.5 million NT dollars by himself and shot the teaser of “Seediq Bale," in order to further raise 200 million dollars for the finance of shooting the complete film.He is good at manipulating dramatic elements and shaping characters, which create more tension and levels in his films. Moreover, to overcome the predicament of unable to produce big budget films, which is due to the restricted finance in Taiwan’s film industry, he always endeavors to prove the talent and