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WANG Bing

王兵

 

Director, screenwriter, cinemathographer, producer

Born in Xi’an, in 1967, WANG Bing studied photography at the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts and cinematography at Beijing Film Academy. He began his career as an independent filmmaker in 1999. Discovered in 2003, WEST OF TRACKS (Tiexi qu/铁西区), an enormous documentary work of more than 9 hours, has garnered great success internationally. In addition to his feature documentaries (THREE SISTERS/San zimei/三姊妹, ’TIL MADNESS DO US PART/Fengai/疯爱), he is also active in video installation (CRUDE OIL/Yuanyou/原油, a 14-hour film), fiction film (BRUTALITY FACTORY/Baoli gongchang/暴力工厂, THE DITCH/Jiabiangou/夹边沟), and photography.

 

His documentaries have been released in theatres internationally. Acclaimed by critics and recognised as a major Chinese artist, documentary maker and film director, he has been honoured by retrospectives of his oeuvre in major museums such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique, Filmoteca Española and Museo Reina Sofía. 

 

In 2012, his THREE SISTERS/San zimei/三姊妹, that follows three little girls in a small village up the mountain, won the best film award of the Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival, Best film award and audience award in the Festival of 3 Continents, as well as Grand prix Award, Ecumenical jury Award, E-changer Award, and Don Quijote Award at Fribourg IFF.

 

His 2013 'TIL MADNESS DO US PART/Fengai/疯爱 opened out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival. It is again in Venice, in 2016, that his BITTER MONEY/Kuqian/苦钱 won Best script award of the Orizzonti section. His portrait of a dying woman, MRS. FANG won Golden Leopard in Locarno in 2017.

 

In 2018, his encounters with the survivors of the anti-rightist movement and labor camps presented in a 9 hours long feature, DEAD SOUL/Silinghun/死灵魂, opened at the Cannes International Film Festival as a Special Screening.

 

In 2023, his YOUTH (SPRING)/Qingchun/青春, that follows in a small town the youth of China who are the working forces of this world’s factory, is invited in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. 

 

The same year, MAN IN BLACK/Heiyi ren/黑衣人, his portrait of the Chinese composer, musician and Maestro WANG Xilin in the unique setting of a stage theatre, filmed by Caroline Champetier, is to screen as a Special Screening of the Cannes film festival.

 FILMOGRAPHY 

MAN IN BLACK (Heiyi Ren/黑衣人)

(International Sales : ASIAN SHADOWS)

2023, Documentary, 60 minutes

- Cannes IFF 2023

          Official Selection, Special Screening

- New Horizons 2023

          Retrospective on Wang Bing

- DMZ 2023 

          Frontier Competition, Grand Prix  

- ICFF Manaki Brothers 2023

          Competition

- Black Canvas 2023

          Beyond the Canvas Competition, Best Film Award

- Dok Leipzig 2023

          Camera Lucida

- Film Fest Ghent 2023

          Sight & Sound

- Doc Lisboa 2023

          Opening film, From the Earth to the Moon

- Sao Paulo 2023

          International Perspective Competition

- Asian Pacific Screen Awards

          Nominated for Best Documentary

- Manaki Brothers Film Festival

          Iron Camera 300 for Caroline Champetier

 

YOUTH (SPRING) (Qingchun/青春)

2023, Documentary, 212 minutes

- Competition, Official Selection, Cannes 2023

DEAD SOULS (Silinghun/死灵魂)

2018, Documentary, 496 minutes

- Special Screenings, Cannes 2018

MRS. FANG (Fang Xiuying/方绣英)

(International Sales : ASIAN SHADOWS)

2017, Documentary, 86 minutes

- Festival del Film Locarno 2017, Concorso Internazionale, Golden Leopard

- Toronto IFF 2017, Wavelengths

BITTER MONEY (Kuqian/苦钱)

2016, Documentary, 155 minutes

- Venice FF 2016, Orizzonti Competition

TA'ANG (De'ang/德昂)

(International Sales : ASIAN SHADOWS)

2016, Documentary, 148 minutes

- Berlinale 2016, Forum

- Hong Kong IFF 2016

- Swedish Film Institute, 2016 (retrospective WANG Bing)

 

TRACES (Yizhi/遗址)

2014, Documentary (video art), 25 minutes

 

FATHER AND SONS (Fu Yu Zi/父与子)

2014, Documentary (video art), 40 minutes

 

'TIL MADNESS DO US PART (Feng Ai/疯爱)

(International Sales : ASIAN SHADOWS)

2013, Documentary, 227 minutes

- Venice Film Festival, Out of Competition

- Toronto IFF

- Vancouver IFF

- Busan IFF

- Doc Lisboa, Competition

- Viennale

- Copenhague CPH:DOX

- Festival des 3 Continents, Silver Balloon Award

- Rotterdam IFF

- Göteborg IFF

- Fribourg IFF, Competition

 

ALONE (Gudu/孤独)

(International Sales : ASIAN SHADOWS)

2012, Documentary, 89 minutes

- Black Movie Festival, Geneva, Critics Award 

- Rotterdam IFF

- Melbourne IFF

- Rio IFF

- IDFA, Amsterdam

- DocHouse, London 

 

THREE SISTERS (San Zimei/三姊妹)

(International Sales : ASIAN SHADOWS)

2012, Documentary, 153 minutes

- Venice Film Festival, Orrizonti Best Film Award

- Doc Lisboa, Best Film Award

- Festival des 3 Continents, Audience Award and Best Film Award

- Dubai IFF, Best Documentary Asia Africa Award 

- Fribourg FIFF, Grand prix Award, Ecumenical jury Award, E-changer Award, Don Quijote Award 

- Hong Kong IFF

- Edinburgh IFF

- New Zelande IFF

- Taipei IFF 

 

THE DITCH (Jiabiangou/夹边沟)

2010, Feature Film, 113 minutes

- Venice Film Festival, Competition

 

MAN WITH NO NAME (Wumingzhe/无名者)

2009, Documentary, 97 minutes

 

COAL MONEY (Tongdao/通道)

2008, Documentary, 52 minutes

- Cinema Du Reel, International Competition

 

CRUDE OIL (Yuanyou/原油)

2008, Documentary film installation, 14 hours

Supported by Hubert Bals Fund Rotterdam

- Rotterdam IFF

- Hong Kong IFF

 

FENGMING, A CHINESE MEMOIR (He Fengming/和凤鸣)

2007, Documentary, 184 minutes

- Cannes Film Festival, Official Selection

- Toronto IFF

- Rotterdam IFF

 

BRUTALITY FACTORY (Baoli Gongchang/暴力工厂)

2007, Short in the anthology STATE OF THE WORLD

- Cannes Film Festival, Director's Fortnight

 

WEST OF THE TRACKS (Tiexi Qu/铁西区)

1999-2003, Documentary in three parts, 554 minutes

Part 1: RUST (244 minutes)

Part 2: REMNANTS (178 minutes)

Part 3: RAILS (132 minutes)

- Lisbon International Documentary Festival, Grand Prize

- Marseille Festival of Documentary Film, Grand Prize

- Festival des 3 Continents, Golden Balloon Award, documentary section

- Yamagata International Documentary Festival, Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize

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