In 1999, when Ann Hui was asked how she'd been spending her time, she replied that she'd been teaching. Was she on the faculty at the London Film School (her alma mater), or perhaps at some prestigious American university? No. Surprisingly, Hui was not working in film at all -- instead, she was payin

Dramatic, Eclectic, Elegant, Epic, Mainland chinese (the 5th generation), Sincere

When Boston's Museum of Fine Arts launched a retrospective of Imamura's films, it was entitled, "Pigs, Pimps and Pornographers: The Films of Shohei Imamura." The films' brutal sexuality and unsparing scrutiny of a certain Japanese underbelly have made Imamura one of the most controversial filmmakers

Agitated, Profane, Rough, Violent

Zhang Yimou was in secondary school when the Cultural Revolution exploded in China in 1966. Since his father had served in the old guard, Zhang was sent immediately to the countryside to begin ten years of education (or hard labor) in the fields. While his hands churned the soil, his mind turned to d

Elegant, Epic, Hypnotic, Lyrical, Mainland chinese (the 5th generation), Political, Rebel

After the crash of the French New Wave had subsided into an uncertain lull, critics complained that French cinema was dead. In reality, it was merely taking a rest. Enter Olivier Assayas, son of a respected pre-New Wave scriptwriter. Although schooled in literature and painting, Assayas maintaine

Dark, French new wave, Psychological, Self-reflection, Tragic