Zhang Yimou

Known for: Raise the Red Lantern (1991), Red Sorghum (1988)

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.