Chinese bid farewell to late film director Wu Tianming

Chinese director Zhang Yimou mourns deceased director Wu Tianming during a memorial meeting at Beijing Film Academy in Beijing, China, 10 March 2014. [Photo/Icpress]

Fifth-generation filmmakers mourn death of 'Godfather'

Film fraternity mourns death of 'godfather' of China's filmmakers

Chinese filmmakers, actors, actresses as well as some ordinary people gathered Saturday afternoon to bid farewell to famous movie director Wu Tianming, who died Tuesday from heart attack.

The memorial meeting, at the Babaoshan funeral service center in west Beijing, started at 3 pm and lasted for about 40 minutes. It was attended by hundreds, including leading film directors Zhang Yimou, Lu Chuan, Xie Fei and Feng Xiaogang.

The hall was decorated with antithetical couplets composed with the names of Wu's films, including Life, Old Well, The King of Masks, River Without Buoys, as well as Homage to Phoenix. "Homage to phoenix ends with a song, while the old well remains silent; the life is without buoys, as one's masks are forever changing," the couplets read.

Amid the sad music from Wu's films, the funeral started with emotional speeches from president of China Film Directors' Guild (CFDG) Li Shaohong and Wu's daughter Wu Yanyan.

The grievous Li, whose 1995 film Blush won the Silver Bear in Berlin, shared a story in 2005. Wu was the first person to win the lifetime achievement award from CFDG with unanimous votes. "When asked how would he spend the money, he replied 'I will donate it to the Old Well Village'," Li said, choking. "The well in the village was dried up and I would like to dig a new one, so that villagers could drink clean water."