"Founding of a Party" online viewing
Feng Xiaogang's war epic "The Assembly" was specially screened yesterday at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Before the screening, during a director's Q&A session, when asked by the host why the film achieved such high box office results despite having no big stars, Feng Xiaogang joked: "In China, I am a star. Audiences will come to see a movie just because it's directed by me. I've made 9 films, and each one has been profitable. I've never tasted failure." His bold statement brought hearty laughter from the audience eagerly awaiting the film.
Since Feng Xiaogang mentioned that the biggest challenge in filming was shooting outdoors in -20 degree Celsius temperatures, which was very tough, the Japanese host asked if anyone had wanted to quit halfway through. Feng replied: "No one except me. The actors and crew were all young, full of energy. They thought working with me was a great opportunity. I wanted to quit several times because I was so exhausted, but they all begged me to stay."
Feng Xiaogang makes bold statements again in Japan.