Wu Ziniu (born 31 October 1952), is a Chinese film director and a member of the "Fifth Generation" film movement, a movement of filmmakers who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in the early 1980s.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Taylor & Francis, p. 372. . Unlike his better-known contemporaries, Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, who made their names with historical dramas, Wu Ziniu is best known for his early war films. His 1985 film on the Sino-Vietnamese War, Dove Tree, was the first film by a Fifth Generation director to be banned by the Chinese government.
Directorial career A member of the 1982 graduating class of the Beijing Film Academy, Wu was assigned to the Xiaoxing Film Studio. There he directed four films, including the children's film, The Candidate, the war films Secret Decree and Dove Tree, and the drama, The Last Day of Winter. After The Last Day of Winter, Wu expanded to other studios, working with the August First Film Studio to produce the war film, Evening Bell, which, despite the heavy hand of censorship, managed to win several international awards, including the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.
Throughout the late 1980s, Wu would continue to direct films, often highlighting the brutality of war and the effect on civilians, as in 1988's Joyous Heroes and its sequel Between Life and Death. With the 1990s, Wu would draw on foreign capital, primarily from Hong Kong to help produce his historical films Sparkling Fox and The Big Mill.
Filmography
Film Year Title Notes 1983 The Candidate候补队员 Directorial debut; co-directed with Chen Lu; also known as A Probation Member 1984 Secret Decree喋血黑谷 Co-directed with Li Jingmin 1985 Dove Tree鸽子树 1986 The Last Day of Winter最后一个冬日 1988 Evening Bell晚钟 1988 Joyous Heroes欢乐英雄 Also known as To Die Like a Man 1988 Between Life and Death阴阳界 1990 The Big Mill大磨坊 1992 Mountains of the Sun太阳山 1993 Sparkling Fox火狐 Won an Honourable Mention at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival 1995 Don't Cry, Nanking南京1937 Also known as Nanking 1937 1999 The National Anthem国歌 2000 The Sino-Dutch War 1661英雄郑成功 Also known as Hero Zheng Chenggong
Television Year Title Notes2005 Carol of Zhenguan贞观长歌 Also known as The Story of Zhen Guan 2007 Ming Dynasty天下 2017 Yu Chenglong于成龙
References
External links
Wu Ziniu at the Chinese Movie Database