Director Lu Chuan confirmed that Liu Ye will play the lead character in Nanking! Nanking!

Rising mainland actor Liu Ye has been confirmed to play the lead character in Nanking! Nanking!, a film paying tribute to the 70th anniversary of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre.

Lu Chuan, director of the film, confirmed with the Star Daily when attending the China International Film & TV Programs Exhibition in Beijing.
 
The renowned director says Liu Ye will star as a military official in the Chinese army.

It was confirmed earlier that mainland actress Gao Yuanyuan, who starred in the Cannes-awarding film Shanghai Dreams, will be the lead actress in the film. Gao plays an English language teacher who returns to China after studying abroad for several years. Meanwhile, another mainland actress, Qin Lan, well-known for her role in a popular TV drama Dream Links, will also star in the film.

Lu Chuan, director of Kekexili, was reported to have been hesitating between choosing Taiwan actor Chang Chen and another Hong Kong actor for the male lead.

The film will start shooting on September 18, the day that marks the historical "9.18 Incident" in 1931, which resulted in Japan's massive aggressions in Northeastern China.

The Nanjing Massacre occurred in December 1937 when Japanese troops, occupying the eastern Chinese city, killed over 300,000 civilians.
 
(CRI.cn August 24, 2007)