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The Master, Jackaroo

Zhang Shihe

Release year: 2015

Run time: 66 mins

Film type: Documentary

Synopsis

Determined to find their way to art, the two young protagonists travel to Songzhuang in Beijing, China, where freelance artists gather, in an attempt to immerse themselves in the art scene and to experience and learn about the art of painting. By chance they learned about the 2nd International Performance Art Festival in Xi'an, China. It was with great interest that they went to participate. As they were unknowns and non-invited, they did not register in advance. So they slept on the street on a pedestrian bridge during the festival. During the days of the festival, they volunteered and performed, and their courage was appreciated by the international performance art organisation, Black Market International, for their innovative ideas and unrestrained boldness.

 

Director biography

Formerly known as Zhang Shihe, a native of Xi’an, Shaanxi, the first citizen journalist, documentary director, participant and witness of the League and the New Citizen Movement, was called “citizen reporter" by many media such as Newsweek and Sanlian Life Week "First Practitioner", originally engaged in the Beijing film and television advertising industry, is now a freelancer. He joined the Writers Association in the 1980s and went to the sea to do business. After graduating from elementary school, he displayed his feelings in the form of blogs and DVs, which attracted the attention of many people. He also called himself a "walking blog". The video of the Wangfujing murder in 2003 earned him the title of citizen journalist.