Directed by celebrated Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Hero) and based on Nobel Prize-winning author Mo Yan’s novel, Red Sorghum is a landmark in contemporary Chinese cinema and culture. The film blends the stories of three generations of a family with their region’s journey through feudalism, war, and revolution. After several years as a cinematographer, Zhang Yimou chose Mo Yan’s novel for his directorial debut. In the film, he crafts an evocative rural landscape, and lead actors Gong Li (in her debut) and Jiang Wen bring the story’s vivid, complicated characters to breathtaking life. Red Sorghum (1987) was the recipient of the Golden Bear Award at the 1988 Berlinale.
Michael Berry (Asian Languages and Cultures, UCLA) will join Wesley Jacks (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion.