Why Zhang Daqian is outselling Van Gogh. But will we ever see a Van Gogh or Zhang Daqian
In the weeks that followed the shooting of the film The King’s Teeth, which was based on the true event of the death of the film director and art photographer Zhang Daqian, we discovered that this kind of film-related publicity was just the beginning.
It was not only possible to buy a ticket to see a film about our most famous painter or sculptor that is based on true facts, but it was also possible to buy tickets for the screening. And soon we discovered our new friends and fans. There were journalists, writers, bloggers, fans from all over the world and all walks of life. We heard from them every day about Zhang Daqian and his work – in good and bad times.
And it turns out that there are several other filmmakers who have taken the same path. In the case of two other leading Chinese filmmakers – Chen Kaige, better known as the director of the controversial trilogy House of Flying Daggers, Wang Xiaoshuai, who is the director of the Oscar-nominated film The Flowers of War, and Zhang Yang, the director of the Oscar-winning animated film Flushed Away, who also became a major public figure on the internet and gained a lot of attention this year by his film Shanghai Bicycle.
Zhang Yang, Zhang Daqian and Chen Kaige
Zhang Yang
The internet has given Zhang Yang a huge platform for his art-style and personal narrative. It also gave Zhang Yang a wide audience that likes his movies. But the film world in particular has been very supportive. It has been a huge commercial success.
The Chinese Academy of Film Arts has also awarded Zhang Yang with the Golden Rooster Award for his film Flushed Away.
But while the Chinese Academy of Film Arts, the Chinese government, and the Chinese internet are all trying to give Zhang Yang a great start at the Chinese box office, the Chinese government itself is trying to shut him down.
In the case of Zhang Yang, who is based in Beijing, the Chinese Ministry of Culture, and other state and municipal level authorities