Jia Zhangke is a renowned Chinese auteur known for the work "Mountains May Depart." (Photo : Reuters)
Chinese director and screenwriter Jia Zhangke visited Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the world premiere of the documentary "Jia Zhangke, The Man from Fenyang" at the Sao Paulo Mostra on Oct. 25, Xinhuanet reported.
"This documentary was very important for me. It allowed me to understand who I am. For that reason, I am very grateful to Walter Salles," Jia told the audience at the leading international film festival in Brazil.
Jia also said that he knows what to do now everytime quitting the industry crosses his mind.
"I will watch this documentary again. This film made me understand I will never be able to separate myself from cinema," he said.
The documentary was directed by Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles, known for his works "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "Central Station."
In the French-produced documentary, Salles tracks Jia through China on the sets of his movies, specifically in the director's hometown Fenyang and Beijing, according to Variety.
While the 44-year-old Chinese filmmaker was in Brazil, the book "The World of Jia Zhangke" was also launched.
Written by French film critic Jean-Michel Frodon, the book features the director's life and how his films uniquely portray China's rise to a superpower in the early 21st century. His films have universal themes although they seem largely regional.
"The subjects of all my films are people and their everyday hardships, the problems they are facing, how they grow up, their relationship to the society and how they are influenced by it," Jia said, adding that he "fell in love with ordinary people," which is linked to his process of growing up and to his memory.
According to Jia, China and Brazil feature the new and the old, the poor and the rich during the process of their social reforms.
In 2006, Jia's film "Still Life" won the Golden Lion at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival.
