City of Life and Death resurrected in N. America1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteKino International has picked up North American distribution rights of Lu Chuan’s wartime drama City of Life and Death.
Lu’s critically acclaimed film, shot in black-and-white, depicts the Nanjing Massacre from the perspective of several characters including a Japanese soldier, a Chinese prostitute and a foreign diplomat.
Released in China in Apr 2009, the film grossed RMB172 million ($26 million) theatrically. It premiered internationally at the Toronto festival before winning the top prize at San Sebastian in Sep 2009.
In Aug 2009, National Geographic Entertainment announced that it had acquired the film for North American distribution but the deal was never closed leading to the cancellation of its scheduled March release.
