A Chinese film depicting a bereft mother's trauma and spiritual recovery after a devastating earthquake is expected to compete in this year's Montreal International Film Festival, said the movie's producer on Tuesday.

A product of the Changchun Film Studio,"The Sun" was inspired by stories of the survivors' psychological struggles after the magnitude-8.0 earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The disaster left 87,000 people dead or missing and millions homeless.

The film, directed by well-known Chinese director Yang Yazhou and featuring Ni Ping and other stars, focuses on a mother's story who has to cope with psychological trauma after losing her son in the disaster.

"An authority for the Montreal International Film Festival, who wept after seeing 'The Sun', has expressed hope that the film will participate in the event," said Gu Guoqing, chairman of the Huaxia Film Distribution Co., Ltd, the film's distributor.

The film festival authority said he was touched not only by those heart-shaking and vivid scenes, but also humanity's true love and warmth the film depicted, according to Gu.

Chinese candidates for an international film competition are required to apply for official approval from watchdogs. The producer said they are preparing documents that would be filed to the provincial cultural authorities in Jilin for application, where the Changchun Film Studio is located.

The film is now on show in Chinese cinemas as part of the country's commemoration of the third anniversary of the quake in Sichuan.

Founded in 1977, the Montreal World Film Festival is recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers' Associations as the only competitive festival in North America. It is held annually in late August in the city of Montreal in Quebec, Canada.

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