Translated with AI
China provided powerful media support for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II, presenting a whole series of feature films and documentaries dedicated to the events of those distant years.
The film "Nanjing Photographer," about one of the bloodiest war crimes of the 20th century—the Nanking Massacre—has made waves in China's film market. In December 1937, the Imperial Japanese Army captured the city of Nanjing and unleashed a bloodbath, killing 340,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers in a month.
The film set a summer box office record in China, grossing 1.5 billion yuan in its first 10 days alone. It is expected to gross up to 4 billion yuan worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing film in Chinese cinema history.
However, the crux of the matter isn't the box office, but the historical mission of this heartbreaking film. As Chinese film critics write, "the film's mission is to preserve the historical truth and memory of World War II; to remind us of the importance of peace and the enormous price paid for it; to firmly rebuff attempts to rewrite the history of World War II, attempts to whitewash and justify the ideology of Nazism and militarism."
This mission is aimed not only at Chinese but also international audiences. Thus, "Nanjing Photo Studio" opened in Australia and New Zealand on August 7, and will be released in the US and Canada on August 15, followed by Russia, the Republic of Korea, the UK, Germany, and France.
Another highly anticipated film is "731," which will premiere in China on September 18. The film depicts the crimes of Unit 731, a Japanese Kwantung Army unit that conducted biological weapons research and inhumane experiments on living humans. Nearly 4 million viewers have already pre-ordered the film on the Chinese booking platform Maoyan, and another 2 million on another platform, Taopiaopiao.
The film marathon dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory Day will also feature numerous documentaries. For example, the CGTN-Russian television channel will present a documentary based on unique footage shot by Soviet cameraman Roman Karmen on the front lines of the 14-year-long Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
Russian feature films will also take part in the Victory Day film marathon: Chinese audiences will be shown the film "Red Silk," which was a hit at the Russian box office.
Konstantin Shchepin
