Zhang Yimou Lives Like a Monk, but May Have Sired a Film Dynasty – Tokyo Festival Masterclass

variety.com:

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Leading Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou has a tough guy exterior – leather jackets, black shirts and a square jaw that has earned him acting awards alongside his top-level credentials as cinematographer and director of “Hero,” “The Road Home” – but on a visit to the Tokyo International Film Festival this week he was all smiles and frank talk.

Zhang received a lifetime achievement award on Monday. On Tuesday the festival gave a gala screening to his historical blockbuster “Full River Red.” And at a Wednesday masterclass, Zhang was more gushed usable details about his process and frank advice for newcomers. “To be a film director you need to be physically in good shape.

No smoking and no drinking,” he advised. “I generally adopt a two-stage process,” he explained. “As director I know that it is impossible to have a perfect screenplay.

I often daydream of it, but reality always gets in the way. It has never happened. Once it is written, the process of redefining it is continuous.