Putting the director in the frame

He has published seven books, including Speaking in Images: Interviews With Contemporary Chinese Filmmakers, Jia Zhangke's Hometown Trilogy, and Boiling the Sea: Hou Hsiao-hsien's Memories of Shadows and Light.

The idea that originated An Accented Cinema can be traced right back to the New York Film Festival, during which, apart from interpretation, Berry also did a two-hour interview with the director.

However, most of the interviews were done in 2018, when Jia was invited to Los Angeles for the China Onscreen Biennial. Berry was one of the curators and hosted six public discussions with Jia about eight of his films selected for the biennial, including The World (2004) and Still Life (2006).

In 2019, Jia made another visit to the United States before his film Ash Is Purest White was released in the US. Berry hosted another two discussions with him.

Based on the eight discussions and an interview in 2002, An Accented Cinema is divided into six parts which are organized chronologically.

It offers a glimpse into how Jia grew up as a representative Chinese filmmaker, the inspiration behind his films, how he makes films and their wider influence.

In the interviews contained in the book, Berry cast his eyes on China, film, art, and Jia, writes Dai Jinhua, professor of Chinese language and literature with Peking University, in the preface of the book.