Jia Zhangke

“[Translated] Michelangelo Antonioni's La notte. I remember a line in it: 'Acquaintances are more and more, friends are fewer and fewer.' It should be from this film. In the night, a woman's very complex emotions. I like this kind of wandering.”

“[Translated] Charlie Chaplin's City Lights. We did a Charlie Chaplin retrospective at the Pingyao Film Festival. I think his films are rarely seen in contemporary cinema. That kind of pure, cinematic, and charming quality, like a street Performance, that can keep the essence of the street in the film. It's becoming rarer and rarer. Very precious, City Lights.”

“[Translated] Oh, Good Morning, Yasujirō Ozu. A very rare comedy. Wanting to buy a TV at home, the children's hope. Through two children, it shows the transition period of Japanese society.”

“[Translated] Bresson's Pickpocket. You could say this film is my teacher. My first film, Xiao Wu, is also about a Pickpocket. Two films about pickpockets. But the Pickpocket in my film is not as elegant as this one. He is very elegant.”

“[Translated] Yi. No explanation needed. Put it in.”

“[Translated] Roma, Alfonso Cuarón. I like it. I think it's one of my favorite contemporary films. I'll never forget looking through the glass at the riotous streets below. Political violence is just a window away. I like it very much.”