Li Yang
Li Yang is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, and actor born in 1959 in Xi’an, China. Known for his socially critical realist films, he often explores corruption, exploitation, and the struggles of marginalized people in contemporary China. Li gained international acclaim with Blind Shaft (2003), a gritty drama about illegal coal mining that won the Silver Bear for Artistic Contribution at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film was banned by the Beijing Film Bureau. The ban was lifted and Li was allowed to continue his unofficial “blind” trilogy with Blind Mountain (2007), about human trafficking, and Blind Massage.