According to the Universal film studio, Angelina Jolie's directorial work "Unbroken" will be released in Chinese cinemas on Jan. 31, 2015. The film, set during the Second World War, will be distributed by a state-controlled entity.
While Chinese residents and citizens looking forward to the feature-film release welcomed the announcement, Japanese detractors reportedly spoke about the possibility of a boycott. The film continues to be a subject of controversy due to its depiction of wartime atrocities by characters playing Japanese military members.
The culpability of Japan's military and government of the time is widely acknowledged across China, and citizens of the latter country remain upset by the lack of an apology for the invasion of China by Japan in World War II, which resulted in approximately 20 million Chinese deaths.
The Yasukuni Shrine, located in Japan, is also an unwelcome topic for segments of the Chinese population, as Japanese visitors commemorate 2.5 million Japanese war deaths at the shrine, including those of alleged war criminals.
Jolie's film is based upon the Laura Hillenbrand novel, "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption," which focuses on Olympian Louis Zamperini and his experiences during the global conflict. The athlete was taken as a prisoner, followed by his torture at the hands of his Japanese captors, and he was later forced to struggle for his life at sea.
Jolie was among a list of 11 directors whose films were recognized by the American Film Institute on Friday. The AFI ceremony was held in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, U.S.