Chinese movie master Zhang Yimou, co-directed’Sniper’ to celebrate anti-US aid

Director Jang Yi-Mou attended the press conference for the movie’Meeting in May’ invited to the 2014 19th Busan International Film Festival Gala Presentation. ‘Meeting in May’ was a film in which director Jang and actor Gong-ri recombined after a long time. [중앙포토]

Director Zhang Yi-Mou (張藝謀, Jang Ye-mo), a master of the Chinese film industry, directs a blockbuster film commemorating the Korean War with his daughter. The film, titled’Sniper’, is expected to be released during the Chinese National Day (Foundation Anniversary) holiday in October.

According to a variety of US media on the 9th (local time), the’Sniper’ started filming on January 6th in northeast China. The film is based on the true story of a member of the People’s Support Army (CPV) of China named Jiang Tao Fang. Born in Jiangsu Province in 1931, Jiang Taofang was a figure who killed 214 enemy soldiers with 436 bullets on the North Korean side during the Korean War in 32 days. In China, he was revered as a war hero and died in 2007.

Through the official Weibo, Zhang Yimou’s studio announced the intention of the production, saying, “We aim to revive the memory of our motherland by focusing on the war that helped Korea by resisting the attack of the United States and to arouse hot homage to the veterans.” China calls the Korean War of the Korean War as an anti-US aid war. The original title of this film was’The Coldest Gun’, but it is said that it has been changed to a more direct’Sniper’ after obtaining permission for production in October. Details such as production cost and casting were not disclosed.

The filming scene of the Korean War movie’Sniper’ jointly directed by director Jang Yi-Mou. [사진 중국 엔터테인먼트 네트워크]

The filming scene of the Korean War movie’Sniper’ jointly directed by director Jang Yi-Mou. [사진 중국 엔터테인먼트 네트워크]

According to Chinese media, the first filming location of the film is in Baishan City, Jilin Province, near Mount Baekdu. As director Jang cranked in, he said, “Our creators have a duty to do good.” “There was always a war movie in my heart,” said director Jang-mo, the daughter who first co-directed with his father. “It is a legacy of the established revolutionary spirit that father and daughter make a movie together. I will try to complete it.”

Director Jang-mo is the daughter of Zhang Yi-mou and his first wife, the famous writer Xiao-hua. After years of working as an editor and assistant director in the production team of Zhang Yi-mou, she made her feature film debut as “28-year-old underage” in 2016. At that time, Jang Yi Mau was the general producer. In this film’Sniper’, Jang Yi-nan, Jang’s eldest son, also participates as a member of the filming staff.

In China, several commemorative films and dramas were released in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of June 25 last year. The movie’Geumgangcheon’, which was released last October, dealt with the battle that took place in Geumgangcheon, a tributary of Mt. China Central Television (CCTV) also released a 20-part documentary “Anti-American Aid War” and a drama “Across the Yalu River”. Director Jang’s’Sniper’ is expected to continue the fever of the Sino-Japanese War movie’Eight Baek (800)’, which recorded the highest box office last year, as an extension of such a patriotic film.

Jang Taofang, a veteran of the Korean War, is a real model of the movie “Snipers,” co-directed by director Jang Yi-Mou. [사진 바이두]

Jang Yi Mau, one of the leading Chinese fifth-generation directors, gained international fame for his debut film,’Red Sorghum Field’, winning the 1988 Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear Award. He was nominated for an Academy Award three times and served as the general director of the opening and closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. In November of last year, the movie’One Second’ was released and recorded a box office hit of 131 million yuan (about 22.9 billion won).

On the other hand, according to German public broadcaster Deutsche Belle (DW) on the 8th, a new code of ethics has been implemented in China, called’How to manage celebrities autonomously’ from the 2nd. This program, organized by the China Performance Industry Association, puts the most important principle of’respect the party and serve the people and socialism’. Specifically, it stated that each celebrity and art worker would be punished if they distort history, insult heroes, and for national reunification, jeopardize sovereignty and territorial integrity, and national security. “It is not surprising that self-regulatory measures are being introduced for celebrities, and we should look at them in the context of Xi Jinping’s strong social policy,” said Professor Boorn Alperman, a Chinese expert at the University of Wurzburg, Germany.

Reporter Kang Hye-ran [email protected]