ABOUT DIRECTOR

Wu Tianming (1939 – 2014) was a Chinese film director and producer who was considered one of the leading “Fourth Generation” directors. Born in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province, China, Wu Tianming attended the Beijing Film Academy, majoring in film directing after the Cultural Revolution. Wu was the head of China’s renowned Xi’an Film Studio from the beginning of 1984, until political differences forced him to flee to the United States in 1989. At Xi’an Studio he nurtured prominent “Fifth Generation” directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. Wu returned to China from his U.S. exile in 1994, and directed the acclaimed film The King of Masks. He died on March 4, 2014 from a heart attack, at the age of 74.