Born in Shanghai, Lou was educated at the Beijing Film Academy. In 1993, he made his first film Weekend Lover, but it was not released until two years later, having its world premiere at the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg where it received the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award. Between completion and premiere of Weekend Lover he made and released Don't Be Young, a thriller about a girl who takes her nightmares as real, in 1994. Lou, however, did not gain international prominence until his third film, the neo-noirSuzhou River. That film dealt with questions of identity and proved quite controversial upon its release in China. Upon its release, international audiences praised Suzhou River, which several critics felt evoked Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, particularly in how both films focus on a man obsessed with a mysterious woman.[5][6]
Lou—along with actress Nai An—founded the independent production company Dream Factory in 1998,[7] which would go on to produce most of Lou's films.[8][9]
In 2003 Lou released Purple Butterfly starring Zhang Ziyi. The film is a tale of revenge and betrayal taking place during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, with a complex narrative structure borrowing heavily from film noir traditions.
Lou's next film, Summer Palace (2006), a story of two lovers in the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, again brought Lou into conflict with Chinese authorities, resulting in a five-year ban for both him and his producer. In order to circumvent the ban, his next film, Spring Fever, was shot surreptitiously in Nanjing and registered as a Hong Kong-French coproduction to avoid censors. The film was shown in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival[10] where writer Mei Feng won the Best Screenplay Award.
Censorship in China
Lou Ye's films have proven controversial in their content, and often deal with issues of sexuality, gender, and obsession. Government censors banned his first film Weekend Lover for two years, while his breakout film Suzhou River was banned (with Lou receiving a 2-year ban from filmmaking) but has since been authorized in China.[11]
Later, after Lou submitted Summer Palace to the 2006 Cannes Film Festival without approval from Chinese censors, he was banned from film-making again, this time for five years.[12] The film itself was also banned, though according to Lou this was because it was not up to the SARFT's standards for picture and sound quality.[13]
Lou also had to re-edit his film The Shadow Play for two years before he was granted a distribution license in mainland China.[14][15] The film's plot centers on the investigation of a corruption scandal, inspired by real events in Xiancun.[16] It also touches upon the issue of forced evictions of urban villages in Guangzhou during China's economic reform.[14][17]
^"Announcing The Jury Members Of The 2017 Sundance Film Festival". Sundance Institute. 2017-01-11. Archived from the original on 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2024-06-09. She also founded Dream Factory, which is dedicated to discovering, cultivating, and helping promising young Chinese directors. Nai An has produced several films directed by Lou Ye including Purple Butterfly (2003), Summer Palace (2006), and Spring Fever (2009), which were all selected by in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
^Pedroletti, Brice (2012-11-20). "Mystery (Fucheng mishi) - review". The Guardian. ISSN0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2024-06-09. According to Nai An, who produces most of Lou Ye's films, "We had to do a lot of explaining and communicating. This time we were prepared, since we knew they would be very cautious with this film."
^ ab"娄烨这部新片告诉你艺术片发行有多难 《风雨云》首周破5100万 临上映仍在修改" [Lou Ye's new film reveals the difficulties of releasing art films. "The Shadow Play" grossed over 51 million RMB in its first week, despite undergoing modifications right before its release.]. Mtime. 2019-04-08. Archived from the original on 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
^Li, Huihui (2023-08-23). "娄烨纪录片，道出中国电影制作的普遍现实" [Lou Ye's documentary reveals the common realities of Chinese film production.]. Phoenix New Media (in Chinese). Post Wave Film. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
^ ab"娄烨电影《风中有朵雨做的云》过审 将如期上映" [Lou Ye's film "The Shadow Play" has passed censorship and will be released as scheduled.]. Lianhe Zaobao (in Simplified Chinese). 2019-04-01. Archived from the original on 2022-09-03. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
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