Epic war film blasts records

In recent years, the Chinese film industry's rapid development has laid the foundation for local filmmakers to raise big budgets and create marvelous visual effects, resulting in a string of patriotic blockbusters like Wolf Warrior 2, Operation Red Sea, and Chinese Doctors.

Continuing their shared successful formula, which relies on stardom and visual effects, The Battle at Lake Changjin had a bigger scale than most of them, but also encountered more challenges.

Yu Dong, the chief producer, recalls the project was commissioned by the China Film Administration, the sector regulator. Alongside Huang Jianxin, the chief executive producer, they pitched a tone to use advanced techniques and creative storytelling skills, thus making it possible to become a classic to earn a seat in Chinese cinema's history.

"After deciding on this plan, we found it would be difficult for any Chinese director to shoot the movie alone in such a short time after I talked to almost all the top directors in China," says Yu.

Also chairman of the Bona Film Group, a leading player in the patriotic film genre, Yu convinced Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark and Dante Lam, among the most prestigious directors in Chinese-language films, to co-helm the movie.

It was an unusual try, as previous Chinese blockbusters directed by several directors were mostly anthologies of stand-alone tales. Interestingly, it has sparked one of the most discussed topics among die-hard fans, whose interest revolves on identifying the three directors' distinctive contributions.