He ping dies: chinese director of ‘sun valley’ and ‘warriors of heaven and earth’ was 65

Chinese director, screenwriter and producer He Ping, best known internationally for his hybrid Chinese Westerns, has died aged 65. Local press reported that he died of illness in Beijing on

January 10.  He Ping was well known on the international film festival circuit and was one of the first Chinese filmmakers to work with a U.S. studio, directing _Warriors Of Heaven And

Earth_ with backing from the now defunct Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia (CPFPA) in 2003. Similar to two award-winning films he made in the 1990s, the film was shot in the Western

deserts of China and combined elements of classic Westerns and Chinese wuxia (swordplay) movies. Born in Shanxi province, He started his career in the 1980s, initially directing stage

productions and documentaries, and later transferring to the state-owned Xian Film Studio, where acclaimed directors such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige had also started their careers. His

early fiction films included _We Are The World_ (1988) and _Kawashima Yoshiko_ (1989), about the Manchurian-Japanese princess of the same name.  WATCH ON DEADLINE In the 1990s, He directed

his first two Chinese Westerns, _Swordsmen In Double Flag Town_ (1991) and _Sun Valley_ (1995), along with historical drama _Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker _(1994), which won a jury

special mention at San Sebastian International Film Festival. _Swordsmen In Double Flag Town _won the Grand Prize at Japan’s Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival, while _Sun Valley

_won an Alfred Bauer Award Honorable Mention at Berlin Film Festival.  _Warriors Of Heaven And Earth_, starring Jiang Wen and Zhao Wei, was China’s submission to the best foreign-language

film category (as it was then known) of the 2004 Academy Awards. Sony’s CPFPA, headed at the time by U.S. producer Barbara Robinson, co-produced the film with Huayi Brothers & Taihe Film

Investment Co and Xian Film Studio.  CPFPA’s Chinese slate around this time also included films such as Ang Lee’s _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon_ and Stephen Chow’s _Kung Fu Hustle_.  In

2009, He directed historical drama _Wheat_, starring Fan Bingbing, which he also produced along with Polybona Films (later known as Bona Film Co) and Xian Film Studio. His 2015 film, _The

Promised Land_, about a ballet dancer who moves to Beijing to pursue her career, received an honorable mention from the Platform jury at the Toronto International Film Festival. A statement

issued by the China Film Directors Association, paying tribute to He, said:  “We are shocked to learn that Mr. He Ping, a member of the China Film Association, former Vice President and

Secretary General of the China Film Directors Association, and a leading national director, has passed away due to illness. We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. He Ping’s relatives.” The

statement continues that He’s films are “deeply loved by movie audiences and praised by industry experts for their strong artistic pursuit and unique creative style. Mr. He Ping has made

outstanding contributions to the country’s film industry and left behind precious artistic wealth. His death is a huge loss to the Chinese film industry.”