Some think him restless. Jia Zhang-ke has tirelessly documented change in Chinese society since the 1990s, choosing socially neglected figures who witness seismic historical transformations as his protagonists. Jia’s portrayals of contemporary China are always attuned to regional complexity, notably through his preference for dialects of his home province of Shanxi, casting non-professional actors in lead roles. Yet his distinctly non-metropolitan approach to film is not confined to filmsets: the foundation of the Pingyao Film Festival, established in a town of less than 50,000 people, testifies to Jia’s desire to bring film to audiences normally excluded from international cultural events. One of China’s most prolific and influential independent filmmakers, Jia Zhang-ke reflects on the growing opportunities for collective agency in the context of what he has named the “age of amateur cinema”.