The western jury saw in his movie Still Life the
capacity for Chinese people to take the initiative in their lives
and that was the reason Chinese director Jia Zhangke gave for
winning the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival
Monday.
"The jury told me they saw Chinese people's capacity for action,
their ability to stay in control of their lives despite problems
and difficulties," Jia, still in Venice and heading for the Toronto
Film Festival to promote the film, told Xinhua in a telephone call
Monday.
"They also said the film conveys a sense of direct communication
like a caress on the skin and expresses the complexities of human
nature through a simple plot," he added.
Still Life follows two separated couples who meet again
in the Yangtze River town of Fengjie. One couple choose to reunite
while the other part again.
Jia is adept at the documentary-like portrayal of simple people
or social outcasts in towns and cities -- the thief in
Pickpocket (1997), young artists in Platform
(2000), children of laid-off workers in Unknown Pleasures
(2002) and migrant workers in The World (2004).
"Still Life" is true to his focus on the mundane lives of
ordinary people in contemporary China, Jia said. However, the
characters in the film are more active in pursuing what they want
while those in his former works are often somewhat restrained.
"The entire movie is about making choices," he said. "The main
characters obtain their freedom and dignity by making their own
decisions about love."
In Chinese film history only Zhang Yimou, torchbearer of the
"Fifth Generation" of Chinese directors, had previously won Golden
Lion awards for Qiu Ju Goes to Court in 1992 and Not
One Less in 1999. Jia is a leading director of the "Sixth
Generation."
"This prize means international acclaim for young Chinese
directors and what made me happiest is the respect westerners
showed for the Chinese people the film portrayed," Jia said.
"The beauty of the cinematography and the quality of the story,
without getting political, the characters, we were very touched and
we very moved," French actress Catherine Deneuve, who led the
judging panel for the top prize, told reporters in Venice.
"I believe audiences in our country will also love this film for
its real and direct portrayal of ordinary people," Jia said. "It's
very close to Chinese audiences."
(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2006)
