An epic action film, set in the turbulent age of China, which unfolds the dynamic and beautiful images, Wheat.
Following the screening of the feature film, Director He Ping appeared on the stage.

“Over the past years, many of the Chinese films dealt with the subject of war forthright, and depicted its cruelty. I wanted to make a thorough depiction of the story of people who lived in the Period of the Warring States,” said Director He Ping and began the Q & A session with audience who watched the film.

Ｑ.It’s rare to find so many female cast in the period film. How was a mood at the production site like?

Director He Ping”During the war, it was the men who went to the battle and women, elders and the children were the ones that stayed behind at home. The men of Zhao have all gone out to fight the war. The remaining women who held the fort, struggled to guard their houses and lands, even if they didn’t go to the battle themselves. The women were waiting for the war to end and their men to return home. It is truly painful for them. In this film, I put my thoughts in to the women who were trying to survive diligently.”

“Approximately 400 extras have appeared in the film. The women were local people from the rural areas. When one scene of the film was completed, women would go somewhere and disappear until the next scene began! When we searched for them, we found them taking a nap (he laughs). It was a hard work for us to find them to resume our shooting. But they were all charming and naïve. We were able have a very pleasant shooting with them.”

“And they really ate well! Their appetites were two or three times more compared to our appetites. They all ate well and worked well too.”

Ｑ. ”I’ve been a Director He Ping’s fan since 20 years ago when I first watched The Swordsman in Double-Flag Town. When I saw it, I thought it was like Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo or spaghetti western movies and found it to be amazing. I felt Kurosawa’s essence in The Swordsman in Double-Flag Town, and the film gave me an illusion of watching the Japanese period piece. Have you ever been influenced by the Director Kurosawa’s film and by the Japanese cinema? .

Director He Ping”It isn’t just me, every director must be getting various influences from some parts of the masterpieces and maybe incorporated the experiences of their predecessors into their work without even realizing it. Through this experience, the directors learn to create something more meaningful for the audiences. Director Kurosawa has once said [he has assimilated traditional things like costumes from China.] China and Japan has something that is common in regarding to the oriental culture.