The Nightingale (Photo : Facebook)
China's entry to the 2015 Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Language Film category hit Chinese theaters on Oct. 31, CRIEnglish reported.
Written and directed by French director Philippe Muyl, "The Nightingale" is a Chinese-French co-production.
"We initially wanted to make a Chinese version of the 'Butterfly,'" Muyl said, referring to his 2002 French film. "But we had a change of mind during the production process. We wanted a more authentic Chinese story. So I thought of using a bird to complete it."
Telling a story of an old man building a bond with his granddaughter through a road trip, "The Nightingale" highlights the breathtaking landscape of China aside from its lead actors Li Baotian and Yang Xinyin, according to the director.
Hao Qin and Xiao Ran Li also play the parents of the granddaughter in the movie.
Before the premiere of the movie in mainland China, Muyl visited several cities where he discussed the selection of "The Nightingale" as China's official entry to the Oscars, Los Angeles Times reported.
"It's a big and beautiful surprise," Muyl said during a press tour in Beijing.
"I knew almost nothing about China, but I was looking at the calendar of my life, I saw my age, and I said, 'It's time to be crazy,'" said the 62-year-old director who took Chinese language lessons and traveling in China from 2010 to 2011.
At the time, Muyl experimented if he could actually make a film in Chinese by making "Red Apple," a short film about pollution.
China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television representatives have yet to explain why "The Nightingale" was selected for the Oscars, which the film's Beijing-based producer Ning Ning also found unexpected.
"I think one reason our film stood out is that the plot is easy to understand by international audiences; a lot of Chinese films are difficult for foreigners to comprehend. Also, China wants to do more foreign co-productions," Ning said.
