Lou Ye
Encyclopedia
Lou Ye born 1965, is a Chinese
writer
-director
who is commonly grouped with the "Sixth Generation" directors of Chinese cinema.
. In 1993, he made his first film Weekend Lover
, but it was not released until two years later in 1995. Lou, however, did not gain international prominence until his second film, the neo-noir
Suzhou River
. That film dealt with questions of identity and proved quite controversial upon its release in China. Upon its release, international audiences praised Suzhou River, which several critics felt evoked Alfred Hitchcock
's Vertigo
, particularly in how both films focus on a man obsessed with a mysterious woman.
In 2003, Lou Ye made the film Purple Butterfly
starring Zhang Ziyi
. The film, which took place during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, with its tale of revenge and betrayal, as well as its complex narrative structure again borrowed heavily from the film noir tradition.
Lou's next film, Summer Palace
(2006) which dealt with two lovers in the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
, again brought Lou into conflict with Chinese authorities, resulting in a five-year ban for both him and his producer. His latest film, Spring Fever
, was therefore shot surreptitiously in Nanjing and was registered as a Hong Kong-French coproduction to avoid censors. The film was shown in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival
where it won the prize for best screenplay for writer Mei Feng.
In 1998, Lou Ye founded with Nai An the film company Dream Factory.
for two years, while his breakout film Suzhou River
is still banned (with Lou receiving a 2 year ban from filmmaking).
Most recently, Summer Palace
led to Lou's second ban from film-making, this time for five years. Indeed, though Lou submitted the film to the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
as the only Asian film in competition for the Palme d'Or
, he and his producers had not received approval from Chinese censors, thus instigating his official censure. The longer term of punishment is indication that it is Lou's second offense. Lou, however, has stated that the reason for the ban was for "technical reasons" in that the film was not up to the Beijing Film Bureau
's standards for picture and sound quality.
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
writer
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
-director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
who is commonly grouped with the "Sixth Generation" directors of Chinese cinema.
Films
Born in Shanghai, Lou was educated at the Beijing Film AcademyBeijing Film Academy
Beijing Film Academy is a coeducational state-run higher education institution in Beijing, China. The film school is the largest institution specialised in the tertiary education for film and television production in Asia...
. In 1993, he made his first film Weekend Lover
Weekend Lover
Weekend Lover is the 1995 directorial debut by Chinese director Lou Ye. The film stars actors Jia Hongsheng and Ma Xiaoqing. Fellow director Wang Xiaoshuai also plays a minor role....
, but it was not released until two years later in 1995. Lou, however, did not gain international prominence until his second film, the neo-noir
Neo-noir
Neo-noir is a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently utilize elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.-History:The term Film Noir was coined by...
Suzhou River
Suzhou River (film)
Suzhou River is a 2000 film by Lou Ye about a tragic love story set in contemporary Shanghai. The film, though stylistically distinct, is typical of "Sixth Generation" Chinese filmmakers in its subject matter of contemporary China's gritty urban experience...
. That film dealt with questions of identity and proved quite controversial upon its release in China. Upon its release, international audiences praised Suzhou River, which several critics felt evoked Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Vertigo
Vertigo (film)
Vertigo is a 1958 psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A...
, particularly in how both films focus on a man obsessed with a mysterious woman.
In 2003, Lou Ye made the film Purple Butterfly
Purple Butterfly
Purple Butterfly is a 2003 Chinese film, directed by Lou Ye. It is Lou's third film after Weekend Lover and Suzhou River. It stars Chinese mainland actors, Zhang Ziyi, Liu Ye and Li Bingbing, as well as Japanese actor Tôru Nakamura...
starring Zhang Ziyi
Zhang Ziyi
Zhang Ziyi is a Chinese film actress. Zhang is coined by the media as one of the Four Young Dan actresses in the Film Industry in China, along with Zhao Wei, Xu Jinglei, and Zhou Xun...
. The film, which took place during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, with its tale of revenge and betrayal, as well as its complex narrative structure again borrowed heavily from the film noir tradition.
Lou's next film, Summer Palace
Summer Palace (film)
Summer Palace , is a 2006 Chinese film and the fourth feature film by director Lou Ye. The film was a Chinese-French collaboration produced by Dream Factory, Laurel Films, Fantasy Pictures and Sylvain Bursztejn's Rosem Films...
(2006) which dealt with two lovers in the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
, again brought Lou into conflict with Chinese authorities, resulting in a five-year ban for both him and his producer. His latest film, Spring Fever
Spring Fever (2009 film)
Spring Fever is a 2009 Chinese film directed by Lou Ye. The production of the film is in defiance of a five-year ban on filmmaking imposed by China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television for his previous film, Summer Palace. The film was reportedly surreptitiously shot in the city...
, was therefore shot surreptitiously in Nanjing and was registered as a Hong Kong-French coproduction to avoid censors. The film was shown in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival
2009 Cannes Film Festival
The 62nd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 13 to May 24, 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert was the President of the Jury. It was announced on March 19, 2009, that Pixar's film Up would open the festival...
where it won the prize for best screenplay for writer Mei Feng.
In 1998, Lou Ye founded with Nai An the film company Dream Factory.
Controversy
Lou Ye's films have proven controversial in their content, and often deal with issues of sexuality, gender, and obsession. Government censors banned his first film Weekend LoverWeekend Lover
Weekend Lover is the 1995 directorial debut by Chinese director Lou Ye. The film stars actors Jia Hongsheng and Ma Xiaoqing. Fellow director Wang Xiaoshuai also plays a minor role....
for two years, while his breakout film Suzhou River
Suzhou River (film)
Suzhou River is a 2000 film by Lou Ye about a tragic love story set in contemporary Shanghai. The film, though stylistically distinct, is typical of "Sixth Generation" Chinese filmmakers in its subject matter of contemporary China's gritty urban experience...
is still banned (with Lou receiving a 2 year ban from filmmaking).
Most recently, Summer Palace
Summer Palace (film)
Summer Palace , is a 2006 Chinese film and the fourth feature film by director Lou Ye. The film was a Chinese-French collaboration produced by Dream Factory, Laurel Films, Fantasy Pictures and Sylvain Bursztejn's Rosem Films...
led to Lou's second ban from film-making, this time for five years. Indeed, though Lou submitted the film to the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
2006 Cannes Film Festival
The 2006 Cannes Film Festival ran from May 17, 2006 to May 28, 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over the jury....
as the only Asian film in competition for the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
, he and his producers had not received approval from Chinese censors, thus instigating his official censure. The longer term of punishment is indication that it is Lou's second offense. Lou, however, has stated that the reason for the ban was for "technical reasons" in that the film was not up to the Beijing Film Bureau
State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television is an executive branch under the State Council of the People's Republic of China...
's standards for picture and sound quality.
Filmography
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 1995 in film -Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation.... |
Weekend Lover Weekend Lover Weekend Lover is the 1995 directorial debut by Chinese director Lou Ye. The film stars actors Jia Hongsheng and Ma Xiaoqing. Fellow director Wang Xiaoshuai also plays a minor role.... |
周末情人 | Werner Fassbinder Award for Best Direction at the 1996 Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival is an annual film festival held jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. The festival was established in 1952. In Mannheim there are six cinema centres and 19 single cinemas.The festival presents arthouse films of... |
| 2000 2000 in film The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor .... |
Suzhou River Suzhou River (film) Suzhou River is a 2000 film by Lou Ye about a tragic love story set in contemporary Shanghai. The film, though stylistically distinct, is typical of "Sixth Generation" Chinese filmmakers in its subject matter of contemporary China's gritty urban experience... |
苏州河 | Tiger Award at the 1999 International Film Festival Rotterdam International Film Festival Rotterdam The International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno... |
| 2001 2001 in film The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy... |
"In Shanghai" | 在上海 | Short video Video Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :... film |
| 2003 2003 in film The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,... |
Purple Butterfly Purple Butterfly Purple Butterfly is a 2003 Chinese film, directed by Lou Ye. It is Lou's third film after Weekend Lover and Suzhou River. It stars Chinese mainland actors, Zhang Ziyi, Liu Ye and Li Bingbing, as well as Japanese actor Tôru Nakamura... |
紫蝴蝶 | |
| 2006 2006 in film - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006... |
Summer Palace Summer Palace (film) Summer Palace , is a 2006 Chinese film and the fourth feature film by director Lou Ye. The film was a Chinese-French collaboration produced by Dream Factory, Laurel Films, Fantasy Pictures and Sylvain Bursztejn's Rosem Films... |
頤和園 | |
| 2009 2009 in film The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note... |
Spring Fever Spring Fever (2009 film) Spring Fever is a 2009 Chinese film directed by Lou Ye. The production of the film is in defiance of a five-year ban on filmmaking imposed by China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television for his previous film, Summer Palace. The film was reportedly surreptitiously shot in the city... |
春风沉醉的晚上 | Prix du scénario Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival) The Best Screenplay Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival... award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival 2009 Cannes Film Festival The 62nd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 13 to May 24, 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert was the President of the Jury. It was announced on March 19, 2009, that Pixar's film Up would open the festival... |