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Chinese authorities approve latest Nanjing film |
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Written by Clifford Coonan
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Wednesday, 21 March 2007 |
BEIJING -- Chinese authorities have given Hong Kong helmer Yim Ho
permission to go ahead with a film about the 1937 Nanjing Massacre,
making “Nanjing Christmas 1937” the latest pic to tackle this
controversial subject.
The helmer told the Sina.com website that his pic was inspired by the
history of the massacre by Chinese-American author Iris Chang. Story
involves a group of foreign missionaries and businesspeople who
protected Nanjing citizens during the Japanese invasion of the former
capital 70 years ago this year.
The shoot was given the go-ahead by the Ministry of Culture and other
related authorities, after Yim Ho adjusted the screenplay several times
to meet requirements – Sino-Japanese relations are very sensitive and
the massacre remains a major obstacle to healthy relations with Japan.
China says 300,000 Chinese people were slaughtered by invading Japanese
soldiers in Nanjing; the 1948 Tokyo war crimes tribunal found Japanese
troops killed 155,000 people.
Beijing believes Japan has not done enough to atone for the invasion,
while the Japanese are increasingly tired of being harangued over their
wartime past.
Asked if he was worried the film would provoke negative sentiments among
Chinese audience, Yim Ho said his motive was to promote selfless love.
Pic has been in preparation for seven years and reportedly has a budget
of $26 million and Yim Ho is now in the process of scouting locations
and deciding upon the cast – local media is abuzz with rumor that Brad
Pitt and Japanese heart-throb Takeshi Kaneshiro are in the frame, though
such speculation is par for the course.
Other Nanjing anniversary projects include a $50 million China-Blighty-US
co-production being put together by Gerald Green's Viridian
Entertainment and by the Jiangsu provincial government, while Stanley
Tong and Lu Chuan are also working on their own versions. There are have
also been a number of documentaries produced, with more to come.
© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 March 2007 )
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