ZHANG YIMOU - DIRECTOR ZHANG SUES OVER BIOGRAPHY

DIRECTOR ZHANG SUES OVER BIOGRAPHY

Chinese director ZHANG YIMOU is taking legal action against the publisher and author of a new biography of the filmmaker, accusing them of damaging his reputation with allegations of a love triangle.
He is demanding a public apology for the book, titled Documenting China - Zhang Yimou's Biography, which claims The House of Flying Daggers filmmaker fell out with his wife over his alleged feelings for actress Gong Li.
The tome, released in China in August (08), has already been removed from shop shelves following Zhang's lawyer Tong Jie's condemnation of the book in December (08).
In a statement released last month, Tong said, "A large part of the content in the book is a series of rumours, reckless fabrications, and seriously violates Zhang Yimou's name, image and privacy rights."
A lawsuit against publisher Huaxia and writer Huang Xiaoyang was filed last Tuesday (06Jan09), according to local reports.
Zhang directed Li in movies including 2006's Curse of the Golden Flower, 1994's Huonze, and 1987's My Grandma.