Renowned director Xie Fei is infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. He is currently receiving treatment in Ditan Hospital, but in a telephone interview, the 61-year-old director remains optimistic, saying he's already the struggled through the first difficult period of the disease. He even says he's going to be discharged from the hospital after 20 days.
Xie Fei is internationally known as one of the most prominent "Fifth Generation" directors from China. He was awarded the Best Director for the 1995 feature film A MONGOLIAN TALE at the 19th Montreal World Film Festival. The 1992 feature film THE WOMEN FROM THE LAKE OF SCENTED SOULS received the Golden Bear Award at the 1993 Berlin International Film Festival. BLACK SNOW (1989), an earlier feature by Xie Fei, also received the Silver Bear Award at the 1990 Berlin International Film Festival and Best Film of A Hundred Flowers Award in China.
A graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, Xie Fei has held various administrative positions at the Academy and now teaches there as a faculty member.
(China Radio International April 24, 2003)
