Chinese director, screenwriter and producer He Ping, finest recognized internationally for his hybrid ‘Chinese Westerns’, has died aged 65. Local press reported that he died of sickness in Beijing on January 10.
He Ping was well-known on the worldwide movie pageant circuit and was one of many first Chinese filmmakers to work with a U.S. studio, directing Warriors Of Heaven And Earth with backing from the now defunct Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia (CPFPA) in 2003. Similar to 2 award-winning movies he made within the Nineteen Nineties, the movie was shot within the Western deserts of China and mixed parts of basic Westerns and Chinese wuxia (swordplay) films.
Born in Shanxi province, He began his profession within the Eighties, initially directing stage productions and documentaries, and later transferring to the state-owned Xian Film Studio, the place acclaimed administrators comparable to Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige had additionally began their careers. His early fiction movies included We Are The World (1988) and Kawashima Yoshiko (1989), concerning the Manchurian-Japanese princess of the identical title.
In the Nineteen Nineties, He directed his first two Chinese Westerns, Swordsmen In Double Flag Town (1991) and Sun Valley (1995), together with historic drama Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker (1994), which gained a jury particular point out at San Sebastian International Film Festival. Swordsmen In Double Flag Town gained the Grand Prize at Japan’s (*65*) International Fantastic Film Festival, whereas Sun Valley gained an Alfred Bauer Award Honorable Mention at Berlin Film Festival.
Warriors Of Heaven And Earth, starring Jiang Wen and Zhao Wei, was China’s submission to the most effective foreign-language movie class (because it was then recognized) of the 2004 Academy Awards. Sony’s CPFPA, headed on the time by U.S. producer Barbara Robinson, co-produced the movie with Huayi Brothers & Taihe Film Investment Co and Xian Film Studio. CPFPA’s Chinese slate round this time additionally included movies comparable to Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle.
In 2009, He directed historic drama Wheat, starring Fan Bingbing, which he additionally produced together with Polybona Films (later often called Bona Film Co) and Xian Film Studio. His 2015 movie, The Promised Land, a few ballet dancer who strikes to Beijing to pursue her profession, obtained an honorable point out from the Platform jury on the Toronto International Film Festival.
An announcement issued by the China Film Directors Association, paying tribute to He, stated: “We are shocked to learn that Mr. He Ping, a member of the China Film Association, former Vice President and Secretary General of the China Film Directors Association, and a leading national director, has passed away due to illness. We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. He Ping’s relatives.”
The assertion continues that He’s movies are “deeply loved by movie audiences and praised by industry experts for their strong artistic pursuit and unique creative style. Mr. He Ping has made outstanding contributions to the country’s film industry and left behind precious artistic wealth. His death is a huge loss to the Chinese film industry.”
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