Today, an official selected film of Golden Goblet Awards: Tracing Her Shadow was released for the first time at Shanghai International Film Festival (赌博app). Director Peng Fei and actors Wu Yanshu, Ying Ze and Zhang Wei were present at the meet-and-greet. This film describes that Chen Huiming, a nearly eighty years old women, goes to Nara to look for the war orphan that she once adopted while her granddaughter Xiaoze studies abroad in Japan. This film proceeds slowly and freshly like a road movie and combines the kind and fine customs of Nara with the story of looking for lost relatives, presenting the unique friendship between China and Japan.
The production team of this film is magnificent. Jia Zhangke, a famous Chinese director, and Naomi Kawase, a famous Japanese director, served as the executive producer of this film, ensuring its quality. Although neither of them could attend this meet-and-greet, both extended their greetings by video. The film Tracing Her Shadow reflects the past history and also hopes to light up our common future. As disclosed by Jia Zhangke, when he read the script, he was greatly moved by the great love embodied in the story. “it is transnational, trans-historical and trans-cultural. I think everyone will be deeply touched by this story.”
As introduced by Peng Fei, during the preparation for this work, he accidentally found a group Japanese War Orphans. He once went to japan for investigation, and he was greatly touched by the humanity embodied in this story. So, he decided to make a movie based on this little-known story. “I think those Chinese mothers displayed great humanity. When the enemies left, they were willing to adopt their children and paid a lot.” Peng Fei said this film not only involves the family affection, but also aims to reflect the history and resist wars.
As disclosed by Peng Fei, he once read the materials about an interview made in 1995. When some media asked a Chinese foster mother if she had any wish, she said she wanted to see her foster son who had returned to Japan. However, few Chinese foster mothers could realize such a wish at that time. “So, I want to help them realize this wish by film. Many stories cited in this film are real.” Chinese foster mothers miss their Japanese children very much, and these Japanese children can not forget their life in China after returning to Japan. Peng Fei once met a first-generation war orphan in Japan who has become a grey-haired old man. As soon as he saw Peng Fei, the old man held Peng fei’s hands excitedly and then talked with Peng Fei by mandarin, telling his life in China decades ago.
Wu Yanshu, a performing artist who played the role of Cheng Huiming in Tracing Her Shadow, expressed that this is her first time to watch the finished film. “I was touched by the empressement of the director to make a good movie, and I was almost choked,” Wu Yanshu said that she was moved when she just read the script. “She is a very kind woman.She has met a lot of nice people who wish to help her and enjoyed the plain and kind love existing between people in China and Japan.”
In recent years, Wu Yanshu, a nearly eighty years old actress, performed excellently in many films and TV dramas. When someone on the site asked her how she keeps energetic, he said frankly “Because of my passion. This is my work, and I treat each character seriously and try my best to play well in each scene. I will endeavour to play each role well, no matter how important it is. ” This sincere reply won a round of applause.
Ying Ze, who played the role Granddaughter Xiaoze in the film, cooperated with Director Peng Fei again after The Taste of Rice Flower. In order to play the role in this film, she learned Japanese in a short time and the outcome even won the praise of Japanese workers. Actor Zhang wei is also a musician, who created the theme song Pity for this film. He once studied in Japan and can speak Japanese fluently. This song is created in both Chinese and Japanese.
The film Tracing Her Shadow also invited Liao Benrong, a senior photographer from Taiwan, to serve as photographic director. Keiichi Suzuki, a Japanese musician who once cooperated with Kitano Takeshi and Shunji Iwai, was responsible for the original soundtrack of this film. This film was fully shot in Japan, with great support from the team of Naomi Kawase. As reported, this movie is expected to be released in both China and japan. Naomi Kawase said “I hope this film will promote the exchange and friendship between China and Japan in the future, and this is also the original purpose for which I, Director Jia Zhangke and Peng Fei made this film. ”