He Ping (director)
He Ping (Chinese: 何平; pinyin: Hé Píng; 7 May 1957 – 10 January 2023) was a Chinese film director, screenwriter and producer born in Shanxi whose main filmography consists of a hybrid genre of Western-wuxia movies. He made three movies along this genre - Swordsmen in Double Flag Town (1991), Sun Valley (1995) and Warriors of Heaven and Earth (2004).
He Ping | |
---|---|
何平 | |
![]() Photo Portrait of He Ping | |
Born | |
Died | (aged 65) Beijing, China |
Occupation | Film director |
Years active | 1980s–2023 |
Awards | Golden Rooster Awards – Best Director: 1994 Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker |
Personal life and background
He Ping's mother was the female lead in Communist China's first feature film Bridge (1949). She was an ethnic Manchu whose ancestors were members of the Blue Banners, while He Ping's father was Han Chinese.
He Ping died in Beijing, China on 10 January 2023, at the age of 65.[1]
Directorial career
He Ping began his directorial career in the 1980s, directing stage productions and documentary films.[2] By the late 1980s, He transferred to the Xi'an Film Studio, where he began directing fiction films, including We Are the World and Kawashima Yoshiko a film based on the story of the Manchurian-Japanese princess, Kawashima Yoshiko.[2] In the 1990s, He directed two major Chinese Westerns, Swordsmen in Double Flag Town and Sun Valley, and the historical drama Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker. Swordsmen in Double Flag Town went on to win the Grand Prize at the 3rd Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in February 1992.[3] Sun Valley was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival where it won an Honourable Mention.[4]
In the 2000s, He struck success with his 2004 adventure film Warriors of Heaven and Earth, starring Jiang Wen. He Ping's followed this with another historical action film, Wheat, starring Fan Bingbing, which was released in 2009.
His film The Promised Land received an honorable mention from the Platform jury at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[5]
Filmography
Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | We Are the World | 我们是世界 | ||
1989 | Kawashima Yoshiko | 川岛芳子 | ||
1991 | Swordsmen in Double Flag Town | 双旗镇刀客 | Japan Yobari International Film Festival Best and Fantasy Adventure Film Awards. Berlin International Film Festival Young Director. Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Mandarin Slice 10. Shanghai Critic-named China's Top Photographer Award. | |
1994 | Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker | 炮打双灯 | Hawaii International Film Festival Best Film Golden Rooster Award for Best Director Golden Rooster Award for Best Co-produced Film Golden Rooster Award for Best Art Direction Taiwan Critics Award. | |
1995 | Sun Valley | 日光峡谷 | ||
2004 | Warriors of Heaven and Earth | 天地英雄 | ||
2009 | Wheat | 麦田 | ||
2015 | The Promised Land |
References
- 娱理 (10 January 2023). "著名导演何平于1957年10月生于山西省太原市……". k.sina.cn. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). "He Ping" in Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Taylor & Francis, p. 183. ISBN 0-415-15168-6.
- "YUBARI INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC ADVENTURE FILM FESTIVAL'92". yubarifanta.com. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
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- "Berlinale: 1996 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- "Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2015 Award Winners" (PDF) (Press release). TIFF. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.