Wang Bing

Wang Bing (; born 1967) is a Chinese filmmaker, often referred to as one of the foremost figures in documentary film-making. Wang is the founder of his own production company, Wang Bing Studios, which produces most of his documentaries.

Most known for his 9-hour epic documentary Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2002), his Golden Leopard winner documentary Mrs. Fang (2017) and his Youth trilogy: Spring, Hard Times, and Homecoming (2023–24).

Career Wang is known for his extreme use of cinema verité. All of his films are documentaries features direct cinema techniques (without any narrator's voice-over or conventional structure), usually with lengthy running times, and following sensitive Chinese societal themes.

His first documentary, Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2002), a 9-hour epic about late 20th century industrial China, is considered his first major success, the film went on to win the Grand Prix at the Marseille Festival of Documentary Film and was shown at the Punto de Vista International Documentary Film Festival.

Wang followed with Fengming, a Chinese Memoir (2007), a 3-hour documentary about Chinese Communist Revolution aftermath, the film had its world premiere at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, His following documentaries Three Sisters (2012), 'Til Madness Do Us Part (2013) and Bitter Money (2016) also had world premieres at the Venice Film Festival.

French philosopher Georges Didi-Huberman dedicated a long epilogue to Wang Bing in his 2012 book, Peuples exposés, peuples figurants. He reflects on the social fate of images thoroughly analyzing Wang's 2010 Man with No Name, writing that the director, as a humble portrait artist of a single rural worker, manages to represent the whole of China's people (as well as people from all over the World) "not through his past, nor his ideas, nor his name, nor his place in society, but through the simple gestures with which he works at his solitary life", as opposed to the common epic portraits of national identity based on military prowess, war heroes and manifest destinies.right Wang Bing attending the 70th Venice Film Festival in 2013His 2017's Mrs. Fang had its world premiere at the main competition of the 70th Locarno Film Festival where it won the Golden Leopard.

Wang's Dead Souls (2018), an 8-hour epic about survivors of the labor camps in the Gobi Desert in Gansu, had its world premiere out of competition of 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and was met with widespread critical acclaim.

After a 5-year hiatus, Wang released the Youth trilogy, Spring, Hard Times, Homecoming (2023–2024). The documentaries had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, 77th Locarno Film Festival and 81st Venice International Film Festival, respectively.

Personal life

Political views In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Wang Bing signed an open letter published in Libération demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages.

Censorship in China Shortly after Wang's Youth (Homecoming) was selected for the main competition section at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, Chinese websites including Douban and Baidu Baike erased Wang's profile page and his entire filmography. News websites such as Sohu had previously reported on Wang's Golden Lion nomination, but the articles were subsequently taken offline. At the 62nd New York Film Festival, where both Youth (Hard Times) and Youth (Homecoming) screened in the Main Slate, Wang told the audience that he did not care about China's official censorship. Previously at the 2023 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, where Wang was invited as the Guest of Honor, he stated that "I'm not particularly interested in politics ... I don't want my films to become a political tool", and that he wanted to step away from "the big machine that runs in China, the process of basically making everything propaganda in a way".

Filmography Year English Title Chinese Title Runtime Notes 2002 Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks 铁西区 551 minutes(9:11) 2007 Fengming, a Chinese Memoir 和凤鸣 184 minutes(3:04) Premiered at the 60th Cannes Film FestivalScreened at the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival Brutality Factory 暴力工厂 Short in the anthology The State of the World 2008 Crude Oil 採油日記 840 minutes(14:00) Premiered at the 2008 International Film Festival Rotterdam 2009 Coal Money 煤炭，钱 53 minutes 2010 Man with No Name 无名者 92 minutes The Ditch 夹边沟 109 minutes Premiered at the 67th Venice International Film FestivalScreened at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival 2012 Three Sisters 三姊妹 153 minutes(2:33) Premiered at the 69th Venice International Film Festival 2013 'Til Madness Do Us Part 瘋愛 228 minutes(3:48) Premiered at the 70th Venice International Film Festival Alone 孤独 89 minutes 2014 Father and Sons 父与子 97 minutes 2014 Traces 遗址 30 minutes 2016 Ta'ang 德昂 148 minutes(2:28) Premiered at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival Bitter Money 苦錢 152 minutes(2:32) Premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival 2017 Mrs. Fang 方绣英 86 minutesPremiered at the 70th Locarno Film Festival 15 Hours 15小时 900 minutes(15:00) Premiered at the documenta 14 2018 Dead Souls 死灵魂 495 minutes(8:15) Premiered at the 71st Cannes Film Festival Beauty Lives in Freedom 330 minutes(5:30) Premiered at the Asia Society 2023 Youth (Spring) 青春：春 212 minutes(3:32) Premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival Man in Black 黑衣人 60 minutes Premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival 2024 Youth (Hard Times) 青春：苦 227 minutes(3:47) Premiered at the 77th Locarno Film Festival Youth (Homecoming) 青春：歸 152 minutes(2:32) Premiered at the 81st Venice International Film FestivalTBAI Come From Ikotun我来自伊科通Post-production

Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work Result Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2023 Best Documentary Film Man in Black 2024 Youth (Homecoming) Cahiers du Cinéma 2004 Annual Top 10 Lists Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks 2010 Best Film of the 2000s Cannes Film Festival 2018 L'Œil d'or Dead Souls 2023 Man in Black Youth (Spring) Palme d'Or Doclisboa 2007 Prize IPJ University Fengming, a Chinese Memoir 2012 Grande Prémio Cidade de Lisboa Three Sisters 2014 Father and Sons Dubai International Film Festival 2012 Muhr AsiaAfrica Documentary – Best Director Three Sisters El Gouna Film Festival 2017 Bronze Star – Documentary Competition Mrs. Fang Fribourg International Film Festival 2008 Prix Oikocredit Suisse Fengming, a Chinese Memoir Special Mention (Ecumenical Jury) Special Mention (FICC) 2013 Regard d'or Three Sisters Don Quijote Award E-Changer Award Ecumenical Jury Award IndieWire Critics Poll 2012 Best Undistributed Film Three Sisters International Cinephile Society 2024 Best Documentary Youth (Spring) Kinema Junpo 2012 Best Foreign Language Film Director The Ditch Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival 2017 Golden Lady Harimaguada Bitter Money Locarno Film Festival 2017 Golden Leopard Mrs. Fang 2024 Special Mention Youth (Hard Times) FIPRESCI Prize Environment is Quality of Life Prize Los Angeles Film Critics Association 2023 Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Award Youth (Spring) Marseille Festival of Documentary Film 2003 Grand Prix Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks Nantes Three Continents Film Festival 2003 Documentary Montgolfière d’Or Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks 2012 Montgolfière d’Or Three Sisters Audience Award 2013 Montgolfière d’Argent 'Til Madness Do Us Part Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2023 Best Documentary Feature Youth (Spring) 2024 Youth (Hard Times) Valladolid International Film Festival 2024 Time of History Grand Prize Youth (Hard Times) Venice Film Festival 2010 Golden Lion The Ditch 2012 Orizzonti Award for Best Film Three Sisters 2016 Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay Bitter Money Human Rights Film Network Award 2024 Golden Lion Youth (Homecoming) Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2003 Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks 2007 Fengming, a Chinese Memoir 2019 Dead Souls Citizens’ Prize