Huo Jianqi (; born January 20, 1958) is a Chinese film director. Like the cinematographer turned director Gu Changwei, Huo Jianqi began his cinematic career in the art department. Nearly all of Huo's films have been written by his wife and collaborator, Qiu Shi, who works under the name "Si Wu." Unlike many of his contemporaries (and predecessors), Huo rarely has had issues with the Chinese government regarding his films, leading some western critics to label him the "darling director of China's film bureaucracy."
Career Huo attended the Beijing Film Academy in the early 1980s as part of the "Fifth Generation" (which also included directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige). After graduation, he worked as an art director, including on films such as Tian Zhuangzhuang's The Horse Thief (1986). Huo's own career as a director did not begin, however, until 1995 with The Winner and would not achieve true international success until his 1999 film, Postmen in the Mountains. The simple tale of a father and son traveling through the mountains of Hunan delivering mail proved a success in both China, where it eventually won the Golden Rooster for best film, best director, and best actor Teng Rujun, and abroad in foreign festivals. Upon its release in the United States, the film was praised by critics for its sincerity, critic Roger Ebert noted that the film was "so simple and straightforward that its buried emotions catch us a little by surprise." Huo repeated that film's success with his subsequent project, including 2000's A Love of Blueness and 2002's Life Show (which won the Golden Goblet for best film at the Shanghai International Film Festival).
Huo scored another success with his adaptation of author Mo Yan's The White Dog and the Swing, entitled Nuan. The film, starring Guo Xiaodong and Li Jia in the title role, won the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival, as well as another best picture Golden Rooster.
Filmography YearEnglish TitleChinese TitleNotes1995The Winner 赢家1997The Singer 歌手1999Postmen in the Mountains 那山那人那狗Golden Rooster for Best Picture2000A Love of Blueness 蓝色爱情2002Life Show 生活秀Golden Goblet at the Shanghai International Film Festival2003Nuan 暖Golden Rooster for Best Picture2005A Time to Love 情人结2008Li Shuangliang 时代愚公2009Snowfall in Taipei 台北飘雪2011The Seal of Love 秋之白华2013Falling Flowers 萧红 2015 Love in the 1980s 1980年代的爱情 2016 Xuanzang 大唐玄奘
References
External links
Huo Jianqi at the Chinese Movie Database Huo Jianqi at Cinemasie