# Wang Bing (director)

Wang Bing (Chinese: 王兵; pinyin: Wáng Bīng; born 1967) is a Chinese director, often referred to as one of the foremost figures in documentary film-making. Wang is the founder of his own production company, Wang Bing Studios, which produces most of his films. His movie on Chinese labour camps, The Ditch, was included in the 2010 Venice Film Festival as the film sorpresa.

## Recognition

Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks, Wang's 9 hour epic documentary of industrial China, was considered a major success. Tie Xi Qu went on to win the Grand Prix at the Marseille Festival of Documentary Film and was shown for the first time in Spain at the Punto de Vista International Documentary Film Festival. Wang's film Fengming, a Chinese Memoir, premiered at both Cannes and Toronto in 2007. Crude Oil premiered at the 2008 Rotterdam Film Festival. Since then, his films became a staple at every prestigious international film festival. 2017's Mrs. Fang was awarded the Golden Leopard at the 70th Locarno Festival.
French philosopher Georges Didi-Huberman dedicated a long epilogue to Wang Bing in his 2012 book, Peuples exposés, peuples figurants. He reflects on the social fate of images thoroughly analyzing Wang's 2010 Man with No Name, writing that the director, as a humble portrait artist of a single rural worker, manages to represent the whole of China's people (as well as people from all over the World) "not through his past, nor his ideas, nor his name, nor his place in society, but through the simple gestures with which he works at his solitary life", as opposed to the common epic portraits of national identity based on military prowess, war heroes and manifest destinies.

## Political views

In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Wang Bing signed an open letter published in Libération demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages.

## Censorship in China

Shortly after Wang's Youth (Homecoming) was selected for the main competition section at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, Chinese websites including Douban and Baidu Baike erased Wang's profile page and his entire filmography. News websites such as Sohu had previously reported on Wang's Golden Lion nomination, but the articles were subsequently taken offline. References to Wang on Chinese social media were also censored. At the 62nd New York Film Festival, where both Youth (Hard Times) and Youth (Homecoming) screened in the Main Slate, Wang told the audience that he did not care about China's official censorship. Previously at the 2023 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, where Wang was invited as the Guest of Honor, he stated that "I’m not particularly interested in politics (…) I don’t want my films to become a political tool", and that he wanted to step away from "the big machine that runs in China, the process of basically making everything propaganda in a way."

## Filmography

| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Runtime | Notes |
| 2002 | Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks | 铁西区 | 551 minutes (9:11) | |
| 2007 | Fengming, a Chinese Memoir | 和凤鸣 | 184 minutes (3:04) | Premiered at the 60th Cannes Film Festival Screened at the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival |
| 2007 | Brutality Factory | 暴力工厂 | | Short in the anthology The State of the World |
| 2008 | Crude Oil | 採油日記 | 840 minutes (14:00) | Premiered at the 2008 International Film Festival Rotterdam |
| 2009 | Coal Money | 煤炭，钱 | 53 minutes | |
| 2010 | Man with No Name | 无名者 | 92 minutes | |
| 2010 | The Ditch | 夹边沟 | 109 minutes | Premiered at the 67th Venice International Film Festival Screened at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival |
| 2012 | Three Sisters | 三姊妹 | 153 minutes (2:33) | Premiered at the 69th Venice International Film Festival |
| 2013 | 'Til Madness Do Us Part | 瘋愛 | 228 minutes (3:48) | Premiered at the 70th Venice International Film Festival |
| 2013 | Alone | 孤独 | 89 minutes | |
| 2014 | Father and Sons | 父与子 | 97 minutes | |
| 2014 | Traces | 遗址 | | |
| 2016 | Ta'ang | 德昂 | 148 minutes (2:28) | Premiered at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival |
| 2016 | Bitter Money | 苦錢 | 152 minutes (2:32) | Premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival |
| 2017 | Mrs. Fang | 方绣英 | 86 minutes | |
| 2017 | 15 Hours | 15小时 | 900 minutes (15:00) | Premiered at the documenta 14 |
| 2018 | Dead Souls | 死灵魂 | 495 minutes (8:15) | Premiered at the 71st Cannes Film Festival |
| 2018 | Beauty Lives in Freedom | | 330 minutes (5:30) | Premiered at the Asia Society |
| 2023 | Youth (Spring) | 青春：春 | 212 minutes (3:32) | Premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival |
| 2023 | Man in Black | 黑衣人 | 60 minutes | Premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in the Special Screenings section |
| 2024 | Youth (Hard Times) | 青春：苦 | 227 minutes (3:47) | Premiered at the 77th Locarno Film Festival |
| 2024 | Youth (Homecoming) | 青春：歸 | 152 minutes (2:32) | Premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 2023 | Best Documentary Film | Man in Black | Nominated |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 2024 | Best Documentary Film | Youth (Homecoming) | Nominated |
| Cahiers du Cinéma | 2004 | Annual Top 10 Lists | Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks | 2th Place |
| Cahiers du Cinéma | 2010 | Best Film of the 2000s | Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks | 7th Place |
| Cannes Film Festival | 2018 | L'Œil d'or | Dead Souls | Nominated |
| Cannes Film Festival | 2023 | L'Œil d'or | Man in Black | Nominated |
| Cannes Film Festival | 2023 | L'Œil d'or | Youth (Spring) | Nominated |
| Cannes Film Festival | 2023 | Palme d'Or | Youth (Spring) | Nominated |
| Doclisboa | 2007 | Prize IPJ University | Fengming, a Chinese Memoir | Won |
| Doclisboa | 2012 | Grande Prémio Cidade de Lisboa | Three Sisters | Won |
| Doclisboa | 2014 | Grande Prémio Cidade de Lisboa | Father and Sons | Won |
| Dubai International Film Festival | 2012 | Muhr AsiaAfrica Documentary – Best Director | Three Sisters | Won |
| El Gouna Film Festival | 2017 | Bronze Star – Documentary Competition | Mrs. Fang | Won |
| Fribourg International Film Festival | 2008 | Prix Oikocredit Suisse | Fengming, a Chinese Memoir | Won |
| Fribourg International Film Festival | 2008 | Special Mention (Ecumenical Jury) | Fengming, a Chinese Memoir | Won |
| Fribourg International Film Festival | 2008 | Special Mention (FICC) | Fengming, a Chinese Memoir | Won |
| Fribourg International Film Festival | 2013 | Regard d'or | Three Sisters | Won |
| Fribourg International Film Festival | 2013 | Don Quijote Award | Three Sisters | Won |
| Fribourg International Film Festival | 2013 | E-Changer Award | Three Sisters | Won |
| Fribourg International Film Festival | 2013 | Ecumenical Jury Award | Three Sisters | Won |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | 2012 | Best Undistributed Film | Three Sisters | 10th Place |
| International Cinephile Society | 2024 | Best Documentary | Youth (Spring) | Nominated |
| Kinema Junpo | 2012 | Best Foreign Language Film Director | The Ditch | Won |
| Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival | 2017 | Golden Lady Harimaguada | Bitter Money | Won |
| Locarno Film Festival | 2017 | Golden Leopard | Mrs. Fang | Won |
| Locarno Film Festival | 2024 | Special Mention | Youth (Hard Times) | Won |
| Locarno Film Festival | 2024 | FIPRESCI Prize | Youth (Hard Times) | Won |
| Locarno Film Festival | 2024 | Environment is Quality of Life Prize | Youth (Hard Times) | Won |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | 2023 | Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Award | Youth (Spring) | Won |
| Marseille Festival of Documentary Film | 2003 | Grand Prix | Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks | Won |
| Nantes Three Continents Film Festival | 2003 | Documentary Montgolfière d’Or | Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks | Won |
| Nantes Three Continents Film Festival | 2012 | Montgolfière d’Or | Three Sisters | Won |
| Nantes Three Continents Film Festival | 2012 | Audience Award | Three Sisters | Won |
| Nantes Three Continents Film Festival | 2013 | Montgolfière d’Argent | 'Til Madness Do Us Part | Won |
| Taipei Golden Horse Awards | 2023 | Best Documentary Feature | Youth (Spring) | Won |
| Taipei Golden Horse Awards | 2024 | Best Documentary Feature | Youth (Hard Times) | Nominated |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 2024 | Time of History Grand Prize | Youth (Hard Times) | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | 2010 | Golden Lion | The Ditch | Nominated |
| Venice Film Festival | 2012 | Orizzonti Award for Best Film | Three Sisters | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | 2016 | Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay | Bitter Money | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | 2016 | Human Rights Film Network Award | Bitter Money | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | 2024 | Golden Lion | Youth (Homecoming) | Nominated |
| Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival | 2003 | Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize | Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks | Won |
| Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival | 2007 | Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize | Fengming, a Chinese Memoir | Won |
| Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival | 2019 | Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize | Dead Souls | Won |
| Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival | 2019 | Citizens’ Prize | Dead Souls | Won |