Jia Zhangke: A Guy from Fenyang

Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke is often cited as perhaps the most significant filmmaker for the present moment of globalism. This lovely, intimate portrait by the Academy Award–nominated Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles (who visited the Wex in November 2012) is a walk down memory lane as Salles has Jia revisit his hometown and other locations that feature prominently in his filmmaking. Along the way they encounter Jia’s family, friends, and former colleagues, providing not only an affectionate tribute to the artist but an exploration of his themes about the everyday effects of social, political, and economic change on ordinary people. Salles’s film joins the small ranks of great films about great filmmakers made by great filmmakers. (98 mins., DCP)