Renowned director Zhang Yimou has signed up to work with mainland entertainment company Le Vision Pictures on his future films.

The partnership with Le Vision will end Zhang's previous "chaotic and disordered cooperation", he said at a news conference on Tuesday.

"The cooperation with Le Vision initiates scientific and organized cooperation with a professional team," he said.

Zhang thanked Zhang Zhao, CEO of Le Vision, for supporting him to work in a relaxed and harmonious environment.

"Your sincerity and trust, and respect for art, touches me," he said.

Zhang ended his 16-year partnership with producer Zhan Weiping last year. The two had worked on some of Zhang's highest grossing films, including Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower. Their last cooperation was The Flowers of War in 2011, starring English star Christian Bale. But most of the films they produced did not win critical acclaim.

In an interview with sina.com in August 2012, Weiping criticized Zhang for leaving him suddenly without a solid explanation after The Flowers of War, but Zhang never responded to the remarks until his recent comment about their cooperation being "chaotic and disordered".

Zhang did not reveal any specific project with Le Vision, however, saying he has many choices and a tight schedule. A widely believed potential project among insiders is the adaptation of the female writer Yan Geling's novel Lu Yanshi the Criminal, which depicts a scholar's experiences in the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

Zhang, 62, has been embroiled in controversy recently, as rumors about him having seven children with more than one woman swirl on the Internet. Since China has strict family planning policies, the news soon caused a stir among netizens.

The government of Wuxi, a city in East China where Zhang's wife reportedly lives, said an investigation is ongoing.

Zhang left the news conference after his short speech, without responding to the rumors.

Zhang Zhao, CEO of Le Vision, said he does not care about Zhang's private life. As for how much his company is paying Zhang for joining, Zhang Zhao said they share not only money but more importantly, "a future".

Founded in 2011, Le Vision identifies itself as "an entertainment company in the age of new media" and works closely with LeTV.com, the leading video website in China. Some of Zhang Yimou's works will be available on the website soon.

liuw@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 05/31/2013 page28)