The World (2004) Shijie (original title)

Director:

Zhangke Jia

Writer:

Zhangke Jia

Release Date:

18 March 2005 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An exploration on the impact of urbanization and globalization on a traditional culture.

Plot Keywords:

Theme Park | Security Guard | Dancer | Chinese | Language Barrier

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Tao Zhao	...	Tao
Taisheng Chen	...	Taisheng
Jue Jing	...	Wei
Zhong-wei Jiang	...	Niu
Yiqun Huang	...	Qun
Hongwei Wang	...	Sanlai
Jing Dong Liang	...	Tao's ex-boyfriend
Shuai Ji	...	Erxiao
Wan Xiang	...	Youyou
Alla Shcherbakova	...	Anna
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sanming Han	...	Sanming
Juan Iu	...	Yanqing
Xiaodong Liu	...	Karaoke singer
Xiaoshuai Wang

Directed by
Zhangke Jia

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Zhangke Jia

Produced by
Keung Chow	....	producer
Shozo Ichiyama	....	producer
Masayuki Mori	....	executive producer
Hengameh Panahi	....	producer
Zhong-lun Ren	....	producer
Tianyan Wang	....	supervising producer
Takio Yoshida	....	producer
Nelson Yu Lik-wai	....	associate producer (as Yu Lik Wai)

Original Music by
Giong Lim

Cinematography by
Nelson Yu Lik-wai

Film Editing by
Jing Lei Kong

Production Design by
Li-zhong Wu

Makeup Department
Yang Yuan Zhen	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Elise Bastoul	....	post-production supervisor

Sound Department
Laurent Bailly	....	sound mixer
Si Guo Li	....	boom operator
Yang Zhang	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Meng Da Yu	....	grip
Ricky Wong	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Aure Gelis	....	post-production assistant
Christophe Legendre	....	grader

Other crew
Mathilde Incerti	....	press attache
Pan Jian Lin	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Office Kitano
• Lumen Films
• X Stream Pictures
• Bandai Visual Company (in association with)
• Shanghai Film Group
• Xinghui Production, Hong Kong

Distributors

• Ad Vitam Distribution (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Bitters End (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Celluloid Dreams (2004) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Contact Film (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Golden Village (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Office Kitano (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Zeitgeist Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Prodimag (2007) (Spain) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Shijie" - China (original title)
"World" - USA (festival title)

Runtime:

Italy:140 min | USA:143 min | Argentina:143 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente) | 105 min (theatrical version)

Country:

China | Japan | France

Language:

Mandarin | Russian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Brazil:14 | Australia:PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | UK:12 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Beijing World Park, Beijing, China

Company:

Office Kitano

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation en France : # 111851.

Quotes:

Taisheng:Are we dead?
Tao:No, we have only just begun.

Movie Connections:

References Tokyo Story (1953)

Capturing the essence of a nation

Few directors in any genre anywhere in the world have been able to capture the heart and true essence of a modern nation in just two short hours as Zhang has done with Shijie. After books like Ted Fishman's "China Inc." or Gordon Chang's "The Coming Collapse of China", this film arrives as a breath of fresh air sharing at a very personal level just how a rapidly changing China isn't always dealing with her 'prosperity' and globalization as easily as we would hope. The World is perhaps one of the best modern Asian films in years. We can only hope Zhang Ke Jia will continue to write, direct and interpret his homeland for us for years to come. Shijie is an emotional tour de force on modern China.