Directing
Ai Weiwei
EN, DE, ZH, FR cinema · 67 credits
Born
28 August 1957 (age 69)
Birthplace
Beijing, China
Also known as Ài Wèiwèi · Weiwei Ai · Ai Wei-wei
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist and activist. Ai grew up in the far north-west of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the Chinese Government's stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of schools in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In 2011, Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport on 3 April, for allegedly economic crimes. He was detained for 81 days without charge. Ai Weiwei emerged as a vital instigator in Chinese cultural development, an architect of Chinese modernism, and one of the nation's most vocal political commentators. Ai Weiwei encapsulates political conviction and his personal poetry in his many sculptures, photographs and public works. In doing this, he makes use of Chinese art forms to display the Chinese political and social issues. After being allowed to leave China in 2015, he has lived in Berlin, Germany, and, since 2019, in Cambridge, UK, with his family, working and traveling internationally.
Known for
Filmography
Animality
2025
Animality
Director, Producer, Writer
Die Kunst, frei zu sein - Kreative im Exil
2024
Free to Create - Artists in Exile
as Himself
The Trainer
as Ai Weiwei
Ithaka
as Self
Rohingya
Director, Producer
CoroNation
Producer, Director
Vivos
Director, Producer, Director of Photography
Cockroach
Director, Producer
The Rest
Actor, Producer, Director
Ximei
Executive Producer
Human Flow
Producer, Director, Director of Photography
江天勇律师
Director
Heaven and Earth
Director, Producer
Straight
Director
Ai Weiwei's Appeal ¥15,220,910.50
as Self, Producer, Director
Ai Weiwei - Evidence
as Himself
You Know What I Mean
Director, Producer
Ping'an Yueqing
Producer, Director
Stay Home
Director, Producer
Wenchuan Rebar
Director
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
as Self - Artist, Thanks
Ordos 100
Producer, Director
Chang'an Boulevard
Editor, Producer, Cinematography, Director
Beijing: The Second Ring
Producer, Editor, Cinematography, Director
深表遗憾
2012
So Sorry
Director, Producer
Beijing: The Third Ring
Producer, Cinematography, Director, Editor
The Mala Desert
Producer, Director
The Crab House
Director, Producer
4851
Director
Hormone
Actor
One Recluse
Cinematography, Editor, Producer, Director
Sanhua
Producer, Director
Jingmei Wang
Director
Disturbing the Peace
as Self, Producer, Director
Little Girl's Cheeks
Actor, Director, Producer
冯正虎回家
Director
Fairytale
Producer, Editor, Director
Beijing 2003
2004
Beijing 2003
Producer, Cinematography, Editor, Director
Eat, Drink and Be Merry
as Self, Director, Producer