The Chinese author Jia Zhangke went on stage at the Venice Film Festival for a large -scale masterclass who lasted his career, his parallel work as a distributor and his reflections on the future of cinema in the AI era.
Jia, who attended Venice for the first time in 2000 with his second feature film “Platform” and then won the Golden Lion in 2006 for “Still Life”, spoke with frankness of its extended role in the Chinese film industry beyond the realization. At the beginning of 2025, he co -founded photos of unknown pleasures with the veteran distributor Tian Qi to bring international art films to the Chinese market.
“I have no knowledge or experience in distribution, but I am also a fan of film,” said Jia, explaining that the company was born from passion and necessity. “China has more than 80,000 screens. We need more great films to fill them. To bring works of different cultures to a Chinese audience is very important, because cinema is a universal culture. We must not only focus on our own films but also share the feelings of people from all over the world. ”
Jia underlined the successful release of the “Memoria” of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, which has become the most profitable territory of the film in the world, as proof of a strong audience base in China for international cinema. Since then, Unknown Pleasures Pictures has distributed the Italian Tube of Paola Corteli “There is still tomorrow” and a 4K restoration of “The Gold Rush” by Charlie Chaplin, which has shot eight Chinese cities. “Since the 1980s, China has not really screened silent films. For the young audience to regain Chaplin, 100 years after” The Gold Rush “, was very significant,” said Jia.
The director also thought about his role as founder of the International Film Pingyao Film, now approaching his ninth edition. “Personal power is limited, but a festival is a platform,” said Jia. “This allows young directors to be seen by the public, criticism and industry. Almost half of the films broadcast in Pingyao each year are taken up for distribution in China. ”
Turning to his own filmography, Jia retraced how each stage of her career was shaped by technological and social change. He noted that the “platform” was deeply personal, based on the experiences of his sister, but the publishing led him to recognize the larger forces of political and economic transformation into play in the 1980s. In “Still Life”, he incorporated surrealist images – like a floating building like a spaceship – to capture the disorienting speed of the three -throat.
Jia also traced his embrace of digital cinema, starting with shorts like “In Public” (2001) and “The condition of dogs” before moving fully in digital with “Pleasures unknown” (2002) and “The World” (2004). “Each technology change offers new opportunities,” he said. “With digital cameras, we could film more freely in real spaces, follow the actors closely and capture continuous performance in an impossible way with the film.”
More recently, Jia has experienced AI cinema, producing a five -minute short film in collaboration with a Chinese company. “AI wants to play chess at home, while shooting with a camera is like climbing a mountain outside,” he observed. “Different directors will choose different tools, but I am always attracted by the camera and the real world.”
Asked about future plans, Jia revealed that after closing a cycle of long -term dramas with “Mountains May leave” (2015), “Ash is Purest White” (2018) and “Caught by the Tides” from last year, he intends to return to the immediacy of contemporary life. “After” caught by the tides “, I will start filming the present again,” he said, adding that he hoped to start shooting a new narrative feature film this fall or this winter. He also works on a documentary on the artist Cai Guo-Qiang, known for his pyrotechnic works, which will feature a counterpart created by Ai named “Ai Cai”.
Jia recognized pressure on young filmmakers in China, but asked for persistence. “Sometimes I worry that my fans think that I am doing too much – distribution, festivals, platforms – but everything is linked to the film,” he said. “When you see a possibility, don’t wait anyone else. Do it. Even small efforts can have an effect. “
Reflecting on moments of frustration, Jia said he found the motivation by returning to the work of the directors he admires. “When I want to abandon, I watch a film like” Roma “and it revives my passion,” he said. “Good movies remind us why we do that.”
