The Founding of an Army is a 2017 Chinese historical drama produced by the China Film Group Corporation to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army. Produced by Han Sanping and directed by Andrew Lau, it is the third installment of the Founding of New China trilogy, along with The Founding of a Republic (2009) and The Founding of a Party (2011). The film features a star-studded cast of Chinese actors.[3] It was released on July 28, 2017, to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.[4][5]
The Founding of an Army | |
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Traditional | 建軍大業 |
Simplified | 建军大业 |
Mandarin | Jiànjūn Dàyè |
Directed by | Andrew Lau[1] |
Written by | Dong Zhe Zhao Ningyu Han Sanping Huang Jianxin |
Produced by | Han Sanping Huang Jianxin[1] |
Music by | Chan Kwong-wing Yu-Peng Chen |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | China Film Group Corporation Distribution Workshop |
Release date |
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Country | China |
Language | Mandarin |
The story begins in 1927 at the beginning of the Nanchang uprising, known as the first major Kuomintang–Communist engagement.
On July 25, 2017, film director Ye Daying (叶大鹰), the grandson of General Ye Ting, criticized the film on his sina weibo as follows: "The revolutionary history is seriously entertaining. It is a reproach and distortion of the revolutionary history."[6] Ye Daying also sent an open letter to the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), which was signed by more than 25 revolutionary successors, many of them are generations of higher military officials.[7] They demanded an apology to their family from the producer.[7]
The page of the film on Douban, the leading film review website in China, has forbidden any rating or comment by its users since July 2017.[8]
This film was only released in Southeast Asia within Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Estonia before the ASEAN international film exhibit.
Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
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9th Macau International Movie Festival | Best Picture | The Founding of an Army | Nominated | [9] |
Best Director | Andrew Lau | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Zhang Yixing | Nominated | ||
9th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Best Film | The Founding of an Army | Nominated | [10] |
37th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Visual Effects | Victor Wong, Eman Tse | Nominated | [11] |
23rd Huading Awards | Best Film | The Founding of an Army | Nominated | [12] |
25th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Jury Award | Nominated | [13] | |
14th Changchun Film Festival | Best Original Music Score | Chen Guangrong | Won | [14] |
34th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Picture | The Founding of an Army | Nominated | [15][16] |
Outstanding Picture | Won | |||
Best Writing | Han Sanping, Huang Jianxin, Dong Zhe, Zhao Ningyu | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Zhu Yawen | Nominated | ||
Best Actress | Li Qin | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Ma Tianyu | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Zhang Tian'ai | Nominated | ||