Chinese Filmaker: Lou Ye

Chinese Filmaker: Lou Ye

Lou Ye (simplified Chinese: 娄烨; traditional Chinese: 婁燁; pinyin: Lóu Yè; Wade–Giles: Lou Yeh), born 1965, is a Chinese writer-director who is commonly grouped with the "Sixth Generation" directors of Chinese cinema.

Born in Shanghai, Lou was educated at the Beijing Film Academy. In 1993, he made his first film Weekend Lover, but it was not released until two years later in 1995. Lou, however, did not gain international prominence until his second film, the neo-noir Suzhou River. That film dealt with questions of identity and proved quite controversial upon its release in China. Upon its release, international audiences praised Suzhou River, which several critics felt evoked Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, particularly in how both films focus on a man obsessed with a mysterious woman.

In 2003, Lou Ye made the film Purple Butterfly starring Zhang Ziyi. The film, which took place during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, with its tale of revenge and betrayal, as well as its complex narrative structure again borrowed heavily from the film noir tradition.

Lou's next film, Summer Palace (2006) which dealt with two lovers in the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, again brought Lou into conflict with Chinese authorities, resulting in a five-year ban for both him and his producer. His latest film, Spring Fever, was therefore shot surreptitiously in Nanjing and was registered as a Hong Kong-French coproduction to avoid censors. The film was shown in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival where it won the prize for best screenplay for writer Mei Feng.

In 1998, Lou Ye founded with Nai An the film company Dream Factory.

Lou Ye's films have proven controversial in their content, and often deal with issues of sexuality, gender, and obsession. Government censors banned his first film Weekend Lover for two years, while his breakout film Suzhou River is still banned (with Lou receiving a 2 year ban from filmmaking).

Most recently, Summer Palace led to Lou's second ban from film-making, this time for five years. Indeed, though Lou submitted the film to the 2006 Cannes Film Festival as the only Asian film in competition for the Palme d'Or, he and his producers had not received approval from Chinese censors, thus instigating his official censure. The longer term of punishment is indication that it is Lou's second offense. Lou, however, has stated that the reason for the ban was for "technical reasons" in that the film was not up to the Beijing Film Bureau's standards for picture and sound quality.