Chinese Director Gu Xiaogang Becomes the Youngest Winner of the Kurosawa Akira Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival
The 36th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) officially announced on September 25 Chinese director Gu Xiaogang as the recipient of the Kurosawa Akira Award at its upcoming 2023 edition.
Gu Xiaogang wins the Kurosawa Akira Award at the 36th TIFF
He is the third Chinese recipient of the award following Hou Hsiao-hsien and Chen Kaige. Gu Xiaogang also became the youngest winner of the Kurosawa Akira Award at the TIFF. His unique landscape painting narrative, detailed humanistic care and creative insights have attracted special attention of the international filmmaking community towards China’s poetic cinematography.
Poster of the 36th TIFF
The award was presented for the first time last year after a 14-year gap to pay homage to director Kurosawa Akira’s artistic legacy and ongoing influence, and honor those filmmakers who have made waves in cinema and are expected to help guide the industry’s future. Meanwhile, the award is primarily presented to filmmakers committed to producing humanistic and enjoyable films. Indonesian director Mouly Surya is also set as the award recipient.
The 2023 winners were chosen by a selection committee, including Yamada Yoji (director of A Distant Cry from Spring, The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness, etc.), TIFF programming director Ichiyama Shozo and other reputable filmmakers. In the unanimous opinion of the selection committee, “Director Gu Xiaogang’s debut film, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, is internationally heralded. He depicted a large family with humanistic observation and fluid camerawork, and shown the world that a new generation of directors is emerging from the Chinese film industry.” Said the committee, “We present this award in recognition of his unique talent and in the hope that he will make a substantial contribution to cinema culture in the future.”
Poster of the Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains
As an old friend of the BJIFF, director Gu Xiaogang worked as the second-round jury member of the 13th BJIFF Project Pitches, and provided guidance and recommendations on filmmaking for young filmmakers. Back in 2008, director Gu Xiaogang entered his project Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains at the BJIFF Project Pitches, and won the Special Award at the 8th BJIFF. The project also won the “International Promotion Award” by the BJIFF Organizing Committee, and received publicity and exposure at the Festival de Cannes together with the BJIFF. The Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, which was shot over the course of two years, is director Gu Xiaogang’s directorial debut feature and part of his aesthetic film project–“landscape painting film series”. It explored possibilities of translating visual aesthetics of Chinese landscape paintings into films. The film had its global premiere at the 72nd Festival de Cannes as the closing film of La Semaine de la Critique section. According to Charles Tesson, former head of La Semaine de la Critique, “With its broad, solemn and gentle narrative structure, the Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains offers vivid cinematic presentation of traditional Chinese landscape paintings and calligraphies.”
Gu Xiaogang and Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains at the award ceremony of the 8th BJIFF Project Pitches
Looking back on director Gu Xiaogang’s growth together with the BJIFF, we are proud of his achievements. As a Project Pitches platform to support young directors, the BJIFF is honored to witness director Gu Xiaogang’s rise from a young director to jury member of the Project Pitches and award recipient at an international film festival. We look forward to growing together with director Gu Xiaogang, and striding towards the prosperity of China’s film industry.
The Kurosawa Akira Award presenting ceremony is to be held on October 31 during the 36th TIFF.