Xu Ke Wins SIFF Award for Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Film

The Organizing Committee said that in the past 30 years Xu Ke has constantly added new ideas, thoughts, styles and technologies to his films, injecting fresh vitality and constantly rewriting Chinese cinema history.

In 1979, Xu directed his first martial arts/fantasy feature film Butterfly Murders which gave notice of his unique style and great skill. Butterfly Murders stood out from the usual kung-fu- style films which dominated the market at the time.

Xu Ke established the Film Workshop in 1984 with his co-producer wife Shi Nansheng and went on to produce the musical comedy Shanghai Blues (1985) and many other works characterized by his innovative approach.

 Apart from many popular films produced by Xu Ke, such as the A Better Tomorrow series and A Chinese Ghost Story series, he also directed many classics, for example Green Snake and the Wong Feihung series. He is renowned for setting the standard for other filmmakers to follow.

His excellent films of recent years include Seven Swords which was selected to open the Venice Film Festival in 2005. In 2009, his Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame was nominated in competition at the 67th Venice Film Festival. It subsequently won many awards at Chinese film festivals, including Best Director at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 2011, Xu used the latest 3D technology to make The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate which became one of the most highly anticipated films that year. Apart from box office triumph, it also won many Chinese festival awards and set the grand slam record for special visual effects awards.

This summer, Xu will produce Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon, his latest 3D film which will combine 3D technology and underwater shots to create a new visual sensation for cinema fans. At the end of the year he will find a new way to shoot the 1940s\' gangster story Tracks in the Snowy Forest in 3D.

The Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Film Award honors filmmakers who devoted themselves to promoting Chinese films to the world. Among the past winners are Ang Lee, Zhang Yimou, Chen KaiKo, Feng Xiaogarg, John Woo, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-Fat, Maggie Cheung and Zhang Ziyi.