Film set to show deeds of Red Army hero

An upcoming film retelling the legendary journey of Tian Bao, an ethnic Tibetan Red Army veteran born as Sanggyai Yexe, is scheduled to be released at People Cinemas, a nationwide chain specializing in domestic movies, on Thursday.

During the film's premiere, in Beijing earlier this week, more than 1,000 attended a sneak preview, which also brought together major creators, including co-directors Liu Jin and Yi Xi.

Based on the true story of the titular figure, who was born in Sichuan province in 1917, the film Tian Bao chronicles his transition from a Tibetan Buddhist monk to a Red Army veteran, set against the historic backdrop spanning from the Long March to the founding of New China and the peaceful liberation of Xizang.

Director Liu said the film took six years to produce, recalling how the crew faced challenges such as extreme weather and a shortage of oxygen on the plateau of the Aba Tibetan-Qiang autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province, at an altitude of 4,700 meters.

In November last year, the film took home two awards — Best Feature Film and Best Actor — at the Hunan Ethnic Film Festival.