Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan
Zhang Yimou
FilmmakerKnown for:
Raise the Red Lantern (1991), Red Sorghum (1988)
Education:
Beijing Film Academy, Cinematography department (1982)
Zhang Yimou emerged from the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers and directed Red Sorghum (1988), which won the Golden Bear at Berlin and opened Chinese cinema to international audiences in the post-Mao era. His subsequent films - Raise the Red Lantern (1991), To Live (1994) - were banned in China; his relationship with Chinese authorities has been complex throughout his career. He directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Zhang Yimou's Gear List(1)
ARRI
Connection note
Zhang Yimou used Arriflex cameras for "Raise the Red Lantern" (1991) and "Red Sorghum" (1988). His cinematographer Zhao Fei has discussed the equipment in interviews.
Product description
The Arriflex 35 BL (Blimped Lightweight), introduced in 1972, was the first self-blimped 35mm motion picture camera quiet enough for sync-sound shooting without an external housing. Its mirror-reflex viewfinder and rugged construction made it a standard tool in European and independent filmmaking from the 1970s onward.
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Last updated March 20, 2026
