Zhang Jianya (, ) (born 1951) is a Chinese

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. As a graduate of the 1982 class of the Beijing Film Academy, Zhang is a founding member of the so-called Fifth Generation, a group that also includes in its numbers directors such as

Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 14 November 1950) is a Chinese filmmaker.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retrieved 21 August 2008. A leading figure of China's Cinem ...

, Chen Kaige, and Tian Zhuangzhuang.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). "Zhang Jianya" in ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Film''. Taylor & Francis, p. 387. .

Directorial career

Trained as a carpenter, Zhang's cinematic career began when he joined the

Shanghai Film Studio The Shanghai Film Studio (), one of the three biggest film studios in China, is the film division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese films and TV programs. History Shangh ...

in the mid-1970s as an actor. Upon his graduation in 1982, Zhang directed the children's film, '' Red Elephant'', with his classmates, Tian, and Xie Xiaojing, and helped the studio head Wu Yigong direct the 1987 West German co-production, '' The Tribulations of Young Master''.Clark, Paul (2005). "Zhang Jianya" i
''Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture''
edited by Edward Lawrence Davis. Routledge, p. 997. . Beginning with 1988's '' Kidnapping Karajan'', Zhang has carved himself a niche with urban comedies, often based in the city of

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. Zhang Jianya has also expanded his interests into producing in his role as the head of the 3rd Creative Group at the

, as well as into other genres, including action-thrillers such as 1999's '' Crash Landing'' and 2002's '' Red Snow''.

Selected filmography

As director

References

External links

*
Zhang Jianya
at the Chinese Film Database People from Putian Chinese film producers Chinese television directors Film directors from Fujian Beijing Film Academy alumni Male actors from Fujian 1951 births Living people {{China-film-director-stub