It was only a matter of time before Chen Kaige, the child of a film director and an actress, pissed off the authorities in China. His fascination with sex, opium, costumes, and the individual in society exposed him as a romantic and a maverick. Chen's characters burst at the seams with personality. P

Dramatic, Epic, Huge, Mainland chinese (the 5th generation), Political, Sensual

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

"A camera in your hand and an idea in your head" was how film critic-turned-filmmaker Glauber Rocha characterized the creative conditions under which Brazil's "Cinema Novo" (New Cinema) began. Rocha was the movement's guiding spirit, both in theory and in practice, as he and other filmmakers sought t

Cinema novo, Epic, Intense, Political, Social revolution, Violent

"Film is like a battleground," Sam Fuller once said. Although he was speaking not as himself but in a cameo role as a filmmaker in Jean-Luc Godard's "Pierrot le Fou," the comparison applies perfectly to his own directorial work. Cigar firmly planted between his lips, Fuller has been getting tough in

Angry, Anxiety, Dramatic, In-your-face, Political