Born in Xi’an, in 1967, Wang Bing studied photography at the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts and cinematography at the Beijing Film Academy. He began his career as an independent filmmaker in 1999. Discovered in 2003, West of the Tracks (Tiexi qu), an enormous documentary work of more than nine hours, has garnered great success internationally. In addition to his feature documentaries (Three Sisters (San zimei), ’Til Madness Do Us Part (Fengai)), he is also active in video installation (Crude Oil (Yuanyou), a 14-hour film), fiction film (Brutality Factory (Baoli gongchang), The Ditch (Jiabiangou)), and photography.
His documentaries have been released in theatres internationally. Acclaimed by critics and recognised as a major Chinese artist, documentary maker and film director, he has been honoured by retrospectives of his oeuvre in major museums such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique, Filmoteca Española and Museo Reina Sofía.
In 2012, his Three Sisters (San zimei), which follows three little girls in a small village up a mountain, won the best film award of the Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival and the best film award and audience award in the Festival of 3 Continents, as well as the Grand Prix Award, Ecumenical Jury Award, E-changer Award and Don Quijote Award at Fribourg IFF.
His 2013 ’Til Madness Do Us Part (Fengai) opened out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival. It was again in Venice, in 2016, that his Bitter Money (Kuqian) won the best script award of the Orizzonti section. His portrait of a dying woman Mrs Fang won the Golden Leopard in Locarno in 2017.
In 2018, his encounters with the survivors of the anti-rightist movement and labour camps presented in a nine-hour-long feature, Dead Souls (Silinghun), opened at the Cannes International Film Festival as a Special Screening.
In 2023, his Youth (Spring) (Qingchun), which follows in a small town the youth of China who are the working forces of the world’s factory, was invited in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
The same year, Man in Black (Heiyi ren), his portrait of the Chinese composer, musician and maestro Wang Xilin in the unique setting of a stage theatre, filmed by Caroline Champetier, screened as a Special Screening of the Cannes Film Festival.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and emerging. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
