Epic fantasy film set to land for Spring Festival

A good novel can transport the reader to a fabulous alternate reality. But that kind of journey, in real life, could be the stuff of nightmares, as shown in the upcoming fantasy film A Writer's Odyssey.

The film, with more than an hour of its 130-minute runtime made using the IMAX giant-screen technique, is set to hit domestic theaters on the first day of Spring Festival, which will fall on Feb 12 this year.

Director Lu Yang, alongside Han Qiming, Xu Jian and Wang Gang, in charge of cinematography, special effects and audio, attended an event organized by IMAX China to share some behind-the-scenes stories in Beijing on Feb 7.

Lu, known for the popular martial arts franchise Brotherhood of Blades, recalls he was hooked when he read writer Shuang Xuetao's novel of the same name in 2016.

Unfolding in two parallel worlds, the film follows a desperate father's quest to find his missing daughter after he accepts a mission to assassinate a novelist.

In a groundbreaking effort, the film recruited around 800 artists for two and a half years to make more than 2,000 special-effect shots, establishing a fantasy world ruled by a tyrannical deity.

Lu revealed the film was selected by IMAX as one of few Chinese movies shot and released by the IMAX facilities, which will provide an immersive experience to entice audience sit on the edge of their seats.