Zhang Yimou
Winner Profile
Best Director
Director, Cliff Walkers
Jury Citation
Director Zhang Yimou's Cliff Walkers continues his consistent classical aesthetic, closely merging genre filmmaking with auteur expression. In a cold, brutal struggle between two sides, it reflects the light of humanity. With intense plot tension, a black-and-white audiovisual palette and a taut, brisk rhythm, it opens new ground for mainstream spy films and shows a high level of directorial skill and artistry. Winner of Best Director.
Cliff Walkers: Synopsis
In the 1930s, four Communist agents trained in the Soviet Union form a team and return to China to carry out a secret operation code-named "Utrah". Betrayed by a traitor, they are caught in the enemy's net from the moment they parachute in. Can the comrades escape? Can the mission be completed? As the snow keeps falling, the team, standing "on the edge of the cliff", faces a severe test.