Chinese director Guan Hu has had a busy 2024. He won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May for his film Black Dog. A few weeks later, he showed his other film, A Man and A Woman, at the Shanghai International Film Festival. Now, he is working on a big-budget WWII action movie called Dong Ji Dao, set to release next year. Guan is also leading the competition jury at China’s First International Film Festival.
Guan Hu, a member of China’s sixth generation of filmmakers, first gained attention with Dirt in 1994. Over the years, he has made both small-scale films like Cow (2009) and large hits like The Eight Hundred (2020). His latest films, Black Dog and A Man and A Woman, explore themes of change and struggle.
Black Dog is set in a rural town in northwest China during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It tells the story of Lang, a former convict who finds a strange connection with a street dog. The film reflects on China’s rapid changes over the past 40 years.
A Man and A Woman features two people in quarantine during the pandemic, discovering a connection as they wait in separate rooms. The film portrays the pressures of modern life and how people cope with them.
Guan Hu sees both films as reflections on life and personal struggles. He has also used Pink Floyd's music in Black Dog, a first for the band.
