Zhao Liang

Roles: Director

Zhao Liang’s Behemoth makes its world premiere in Official Competition at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. With his unique vision and acute reflections on social issues and conditions, Zhao has been extending the frontiers of documentary filmmaking in China today. His award-winning Crime and Punishment(Best Film – Festival des 3 Continents–Nantes, France; also screened in Locarno) was an eye-opening exploration of military law enforcement in China. His Petition (aka The Court of the Complainants) followed a group of disgruntled citizens from 1996 to 2008, and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival (Special Screenings). The film has won several awards at festivals, including Hong Kong, DocLisboa, Hawaii, DocNZ Auckland and Tiburon. His documentary Together revealed the situation of HIV and AIDS in China, and was screened at the Berlinale Panorama. Born in Northeastern China (Dandong, Liaoning Province), Zhao Liang graduated from Luxun Academy of Fine Arts in 1992. Based in Beijing since 1993, Zhao has been working as an independent documentary filmmaker as well as a multimedia artist in photography and video art. His works have been exhibited in the International Center of Photography (New York), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), Haus der Kullturen der Welt (Berlin), Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid) and numerous other art galleries and museums around the world.