![]() |
Wang XiaoshuaiChinese director, screenwriter and actor
Date of Birth: 22.05.1966
Country: ![]() |
Content:
- Biography of Wang Xiaoshuai
- Early Life and Education
- Early Career
- Breakthrough and International Success
- Recent Work
Biography of Wang Xiaoshuai
Wang Xiaoshuai is a Chinese director, screenwriter, and actor who gained international recognition for his work with the Sixth Generation or Urban Generation of Chinese Cinema. He was a jury member at the BigScreen Italia Film Festival held in Kunming, Yunnan, China in 2006.

Early Life and Education
Wang Xiaoshuai was born on May 22, 1966, in Shanghai, China, but spent his first 13 years in Guiyang, the administrative center of Guizhou Province. It was in Guiyang that Wang became interested in painting and began studying it. In 1979, he and his family moved to Wuhan. When he turned 15, the family relocated to Beijing, where Wang started attending an art school, focusing on painting, before entering the Beijing Film Academy.

Early Career
Wang Xiaoshuai was fortunate enough to not experience the full effects of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and instead immersed himself in rural life. After graduating from the academy, Wang initially worked under the PRC studio system before venturing into independent filmmaking. He raised enough funds for his debut production and sustained himself on basic food like bread, cabbage, and instant noodles. This led to the creation of his first film, "The Days" ("Dongchun de rizi"), an independent drama released in 1993, in which two of his friends also participated.

Breakthrough and International Success
In 1994, Wang followed up with "Frozen" ("Jidu hanleng" / "Frozen"), which was not released until 1997. The drama was directed under the pseudonym Wu Min, meaning "Unnamed" or "Anonymous." Unlike his earlier Beijing films, the drama "So Close to Paradise" ("Biandan, guniang" / "So Close to Paradise") was shot in Wuhan. The 1997 film tells the story of two migrant workers who get involved in a kidnapping. In 1999, Wang shifted from dramas to a family comedy with "The House" ("The House").

However, it was with "Beijing Bicycle" ("Shiqi sui de dan che" / "Beijing Bicycle") that Wang achieved international success. The film won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. The story of a rural boy's search for his stolen bicycle resonated with critics. However, Russian audiences, in particular, struggled to comprehend the film's disconnected narrative, attempting to decipher the director's intention behind incorporating numerous problems into a two-hour showcase.
Following the success of "Beijing Bicycle," Wang created "Drifters" ("Qing hong" / "Drifters"). The film was selected for the Un Certain Regard competition at the Cannes Film Festival. However, it was another one of his films, "Shanghai Dreams" ("Qing hong" / "Shanghai Dreams"), that won the Jury Prize at the Cannes festival.
Recent Work
In 2008, Wang's film "In Love We Trust" (also known as "Left Right") premiered. The modern drama revolves around a divorced couple whose daughter is diagnosed with leukemia. While a cure is possible, it proves to be a complicated process. The film missed its planned screening at the Venice Film Festival in 2007.
Wang's next project, "11 Flowers," won the Pusan Promotion Prize. Unlike many Chinese films that focus on national issues, Wang attracts Western attention by exploring personal problems, including sexuality, self-identity, and unprecedented frankness, in his works.