PRESS CONFERENCE – Jia Zhang-Ke: “I am dedicated to preserving creative freedom”

Jia Zhang-Ke appeared before journalists at the press conference for Tian Zhu Ding (A Touch of Sin). With him were actors Luo Lanshan, Zhao Tao, Jiang Wu, Wang Baoqiang and Li Meng. Selected extracts below.

Jia Zhang-Ke, inspired by the reality of unprecendented violence:
Recently, with the crisis, I saw to what extent incidents in China were violent. It worried me greatly, I told myself we needed to address this through film and understand how an ordinary individual can be driven to react in such a violent way.
 

Jia Zhang-Ke’s attitude towards censorship, self-censorship and freedom of expression:
I am dedicated to preserving creative freedom and I do my utmost to not censore myself. Once I have worked on that, I ask myself what I can do so that as many Chinese people as possible see the film.

Luo Lanshan on working in a new genre:
I have acted in a lot of comedies in which the style of acting is more exaggerated. The challenge was to convey my feelings sincerely. I had to forget what I usually did and found myself faced with a blank page.

Actress Zhao Tao on the director’s development:
This is his best film, in terms of the writing, the script and the work with the actors. He has achieved great precision. He succeeded in easily getting what he wanted. The film was filled with purity.

The film’s spiritual message, according to Jia Zhang-Ke:
This film focuses on four characters but it is one single film. A subtle link connects them all, a bit like between people in the real world. We feel to what extent it is Heaven that decides everything, that is clear. The choice of “Sin” for the English title stemmed from this.

Quotes collected by TK