Li Yu (director)
Encyclopedia
Li Yu (born December 2, 1973) is a female Chinese film director
and screenwriter
. Li began her career in entertainment at a young age, serving as a presenter at a local TV station. After college she worked for CCTV
where she directed television programs before moving onto documentaries and, eventually, feature films.
, purportedly the first mainland Chinese feature to tackle the subject of lesbian
ism. The film was screened abroad with some difficulty, but for the most part was not given an opportunity to screen before mainland Chinese audiences.
Her next film, Dam Street
, was plagued less by problems, and garnered Li the Golden Lotus from the specialty Deauville Asian Film Festival
in 2006.
In 2007, Li Yu's most high profile film yet, Lost in Beijing
premiered at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival
. The result was over a year of controversy with the Chinese Film Bureau over both the appropriateness of that screening and of the content of the film. Though briefly screened in a heavily edited state, the film was eventually banned outright, though it was given limited releases abroad, including in the United States.
In 2010, Li Yu's coming-of-age film Buddha Mountain won the Award for Best Artistic Contribution at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival
.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. Li began her career in entertainment at a young age, serving as a presenter at a local TV station. After college she worked for CCTV
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
where she directed television programs before moving onto documentaries and, eventually, feature films.
Directorial career
Her feature film debut came with 2001's Fish and ElephantFish and Elephant
Fish and Elephant is documentary filmmaker and former TV hostess Li Yu's feature film directorial debut. The film is also often referred to as the first Chinese mainland film to broach the topic of lesbian relationships in China....
, purportedly the first mainland Chinese feature to tackle the subject of lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
ism. The film was screened abroad with some difficulty, but for the most part was not given an opportunity to screen before mainland Chinese audiences.
Her next film, Dam Street
Dam Street
Dam Street is a 2005 Chinese film directed by Li Yu. Dam Street is Li's second feature film, after 2001's Fish and Elephant and was produced by screenwriter Fang Li's Laurel Films and Sylvain Bursztejn's French company, Rosem Fims....
, was plagued less by problems, and garnered Li the Golden Lotus from the specialty Deauville Asian Film Festival
Deauville Asian Film Festival
The Deauville Asian Film Festival takes place annually in Deauville, France since 1999 and focuses on Asian cinema...
in 2006.
In 2007, Li Yu's most high profile film yet, Lost in Beijing
Lost in Beijing
Lost in Beijing is a 2007 Chinese film directed by Li Yu and starring Tony Leung Ka-fai, Fan Bingbing, Tong Dawei, and Elaine Jin. It had its international premiere at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival on February 16, 2007...
premiered at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. The result was over a year of controversy with the Chinese Film Bureau over both the appropriateness of that screening and of the content of the film. Though briefly screened in a heavily edited state, the film was eventually banned outright, though it was given limited releases abroad, including in the United States.
In 2010, Li Yu's coming-of-age film Buddha Mountain won the Award for Best Artistic Contribution at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biannually from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter...
.
Filmography
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 1996 in film Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:... |
Sisters | documentary | |
| 1997 1997 in film -Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*... |
Stay and Hope | documentary | |
| 1998 1998 in film -Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:... |
Honor and Dreams | documentary | |
| 2001 2001 in film The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy... |
Fish and Elephant Fish and Elephant Fish and Elephant is documentary filmmaker and former TV hostess Li Yu's feature film directorial debut. The film is also often referred to as the first Chinese mainland film to broach the topic of lesbian relationships in China.... |
今年夏天 | Feature film debut |
| 2005 2005 in film - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005... |
Dam Street Dam Street Dam Street is a 2005 Chinese film directed by Li Yu. Dam Street is Li's second feature film, after 2001's Fish and Elephant and was produced by screenwriter Fang Li's Laurel Films and Sylvain Bursztejn's French company, Rosem Fims.... |
红颜 | 2006 Golden Lotus winner |
| 2007 2007 in film This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007... |
Lost in Beijing Lost in Beijing Lost in Beijing is a 2007 Chinese film directed by Li Yu and starring Tony Leung Ka-fai, Fan Bingbing, Tong Dawei, and Elaine Jin. It had its international premiere at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival on February 16, 2007... |
苹果 | |
| 2010 2010 in film The year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and... |
Buddha Mountain Buddha Mountain Buddha Mountain is a 2010 Chinese film directed by Li Yu and starring Fan Bingbing, Sylvia Chang, Bolin Chen, Fei Long.Buddha Mountain was produced by Laurel Films, a small independent production company owned by Fang Li and based in Beijing... |
观音山 | |
External links
- February, 2007: "Li Yu, Filmmaker," from The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterFormerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...