Internationally acclaimed and award-winning Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s (Raise the Red Lantern, Hero) THE FLOWERS OF WAR starring Oscar winning actor Christian Bale (The Fighter) has been selected and will represent China as the country’s best foreign language entry in the 2011 awards season. China’s Film Bureau confirmed the selection today.
Based on a screenplay by Heng Liu (Assembly, The Story of Qiu Ju), THE FLOWERS OF WAR is adapted from Geling Yan’s historical novel 13 Flowers of Nanjing. Produced and financed by Zhang Weiping, THE FLOWERS OF WAR features award winning filmmakers Director of Photography Zhao Xiaoding (Under the Hawthorn Tree, House of Flying Daggers), Production Designer Yohei Taneda (Kill Bill: Vol. 1; Villain), and Sound Designer Tao Jing (Hero, House of Flying Daggers).
Inspired by true life events, THE FLOWERS OF WAR tells a genuine story of hope, love and sacrifice. Set in 1937, Nanking stands at the forefront of a war between China and Japan. As the invading Japanese Imperial Army overruns China’s capital city, desperate civilians seek refuge behind the nominally protective walls of a western cathedral. Here, John Haufman (Bale), an American trapped amidst the chaos of battle and the ensuing occupation takes shelter, joined by a group of innocent schoolgirls and thirteen courtesans, equally determined to escape the horrors taking place outside the church walls.
THE FLOWERS OF WAR is executive produced by Chaoying Deng and David Linde. International Sales are handled by Glen Basner and FilmNation Entertainment
