Huang Xiaoming stars in the Chinese film "Xuan Zang." (Photo : YouTube/Keen Zhang)
China has chosen the historical drama "Xuan Zang" as its contender for the Best Foreign-Language Film category at the 89th Academy Awards. The Indo-Chinese production is directed by filmmaker Huo Jianqi.
The film, produced by Wong Kar-Wai, follows the story of a Buddhist monk named Xuan Zang during the era of the Tang dynasty. The feature documents the 17-year journey of the monk as he travelled from China to India with his Buddhist teachings, according to Variety.
Zang was considered as the greatest monk in Chinese history and played a vital role in the spreading of Buddhism across Asia. He also served as an inspiration for the classic novel "Journey to the West," which has been adapted into several television shows and films.
"Xuan Zang" opened in theaters in April and raked in only $4.9 million (RMB33.0 million) at the domestic box office despite being well received by critics. However, making the film for a profit was never the intention behind the film, as Hou pointed out in an interview with China Film Insider.
"We didn't make the film in order to make money," Hou said. "We wanted to bring to life a piece of history that shared by both our countries. The film's cast featured the likes of Huang Xiaoming, Kent Tong, Purba Rgyal and Tan Kai.
"Xuan Zang" and Yang Chao's "Crosscurrent" were shortlisted for the Oscars race but the former emerged as the final choice as China's contender in the foreign-language category at the Oscars, an honor China has never won till date. "Hero," the 2002 action film starring Zhang Yimou, was the last Chinese mainland film that received an Oscar nomination.
China's selection for the Oscars comes after it was announced that Hong Kong will be represented by crime thriller "Port of Call" while Taiwan finalized "Hang in There, Kids!" as its entry in the race. Watch the trailer of "Xuan Zang" below:
