How Bi Gan rewrites the history of Chinese film

Chinese director Bi Gan won "the Special Prize" at the recent 78th Cannes Film Festival for his film "Resurrection" (Kuang Ye Shi Dai). Once again, this director from China's Guizhou Province is in the Chinese cinema spotlight.

Starring Chinese actors Jackson Yee and Shu Qi, "Resurrection" is composed of six chapters that seem unrelated, exploring the blurry line between dream and reality. From black-and-white silent films to futuristic cyberpunk worlds, Bi Gan uses new footage to pay tribute to different eras of cinema and art.

Six Chinese-language films were selected for different sections at Cannes this year and it was the first time in a decade for a Chinese-language film to win an award, following Hou Hsiao-Hsien's "Best Director" win for "The Assassin" in 2015.

Jury president Juliette Binoche explained why the jury gave the award to Bi Gan: "Even if it's hard to fully understand, the film creates space for viewers to dream. It contains conscious subtext that may not all connect, but it feels real. We're invited to guess, to feel poetry, to experience emotions we didn't expect."

Bi Gan and his hometown

Since his debut feature "Kaili Blues," Bi Gan has continued his unique style, blending poetic storytelling with magical realism.

His films are closely tied to his hometown of Kaili in Guizhou Province. Born in 1989, Bi Gan decided to become a filmmaker in high school after watching the Japanese movie "Quill."

He began learning about filmmaking while studying at university in Shanxi Province. In 2008, his first short film, "South," won a campus award.

"Kaili Blues" brought him international fame in 2015. It won him "Best Emerging Director" at the 68th Locarno Film Festival and made him the youngest "Best New Director" at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Three years later, his second feature "Long Day's Journey into Night" was selected for the "Un Certain Regard" section at Cannes.

His visual style is shaped by the foggy, rainy climate of Kaili city. In "Kaili Blues," you see this through steam rising from sour soup fish and the sound of dripping water in air-raid shelters. In "Long Day's Journey into Night," the camera moves past damp, moldy walls and blurred mirrors.

Bi Gan's films stand apart from many recent Chinese movies. They do not contain the fabulosity of national history and do not discuss social issues. Instead, he breaks away from mainstream storytelling, creating films filled with local culture and dreamlike visuals, portraying daily subjects with a sense of mystery and wonder.

Poetic and imaginative

Bi Gan is a bold experimenter in film form, often favouring abstraction over clarity. His films are often difficult to follow. As a poet himself, he brings poetic elements into his films

His films are often composed of nonlinear stories and symbolic images. In an interview with T Magazine China, he said: "Film makes me feel like a scientist. I can explore the shape of time and memories with my imagination."

He was deeply influenced by the Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky, especially the film "Stalker," an influence reflected in Bi Gan's signature use of long takes. The 42-minute dream sequence in "Kaili Blues" and the 60-minute 3D shot in "Long Day's Journey into Night," both push the limits of storytelling, blending dreams with reality.

When "Long Day's Journey into Night" was marketed as a romantic New Year's film in China, it earned 282 million yuan (US$39.14 million) at the box office, but left many audiences feeling misled and attracted negative reviews online.

But that has not stopped Bi Gan continuing his experimentation. He seems to have developed his visual artistry further in "Resurrection," which abandons conventional storytelling and is fulfilled with a trippy vision to tell the 100-year history of cinema.

Bi Gan's works may always remain niche, but they still stand as one of the most innovative voices in the history of Chinese film.