Directed by Jia Zhangke • 2004 • China
Starring Zhao Tao, Cheng Taishen, Jing Jue
An at once intimate and expansive exploration of globalization from visionary director Jia Zhangke, THE WORLD takes place in the eponymous theme park on the outskirts of Beijing, where iconic monuments from the Eiffel Tower to the Taj Mahal are reproduced for tourists. It’s there that the park’s employees—including a dancer (Zhao Tao) and a security guard (Cheng Taishen)—drift together and are pulled apart in a cycle of connection and alienation that speaks eloquently to the effects of China’s rapid modernization.
Up Next in Directed by Jia Zhangke
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Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue
Directed by Jia Zhangke • 2020 • China
From master director Jia Zhangke comes a vital document of Chinese society and its transformation since 1949. Jia interviews three prominent authors—Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua, and Liang Hong—born in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, respectively. In their stories, we h...
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The Hedonists
Directed by Jia Zhangke • 2016 • China
Starring Han Sanming, Jindong Liang, Yuan WenqianJia Zhangke finds wry tragicomedy and sharp social insight in the story of unemployed Shanxi coal miners whose search for work leads them to surprising places.
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Ash Is Purest White
Directed by Jia Zhangke • 2018 • China
Starring Zhao Tao, Liao Fan, Diao YinanVisionary director Jia Zhangke’s mesmerizing, decade-plus spanning journey through China’s criminal underworld features a tour-de-force performance from his frequent star Zhao Tao as Zhao Qiao, the swaggering girlfrie...
