Jia Zhang-Ke makes epics. His films are both technically audacious and deal with human stories on a grand scale. His themes may be universal, but his subject is very specifically the history and cultural evolution of modern China. Works like "Platform", "Still Life", "A Touch of Sin" and others explore the lives of ordinary people navigating the tensions between tradition and modern world, between rural and urban life. Others like "The World" and "Caught by the Tides" are particularly interested in China’s place in the new millennium.

We’ve scheduled our November discussion of Jia Zhang-Ke further in advance to give us time to explore films that may be long and culturally specific but are that much more rewarding and among the most acclaimed in Chinese cinema. We'll be looking at 8 films, all of which are on the Criterion Channel and the first four will be 'made available' for people to view:

(Key: Z = Amazon, A = AppleTV, L = Library rental, K = Kanopy, F = Fandango at Home )

"Platform" 2002 ( L ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNqr030-65w
"Unknown Pleasures" 2002
"The World" 2004 ( L )
"Still Life" 2006 ( A L F ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kIWx0e_VKQ
"Touch of Sin" 2013 ( A K F )
"Mountains May Depart" 2015 ( Z A K F )
"Ash Is Purest White" 2018 ( Z A K F )
"Caught By The Tides" 2024 ( Z A F )

NOTE: "Caught By The Tides" is a unique work in that it's partly a 'remix' using scenes from several of his earlier movies. Whether you'd like to see the earlier movies before "Tides" or view them in light with how they appear in seeing "Tides" first is up to you.

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Film Discussion Lunch: Jia Zhang-Ke

Warehouse Bar & Pizzeria Chicago

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Chicago Film Discussion Group

Film Discussion Lunch: Jia Zhang-Ke

Chicago Film Discussion Group

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