Chen Kaige
Winner Profile
Best Director
The Volunteers: To the War
Jury Citation
The Volunteers: To the War combines a broad vision with nuanced expression and presents a panorama of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, with deep historical significance and contemporary value. It is a major breakthrough for director Chen Kaige in epic war films and mainstream films of the new era, and it shows the aesthetic pursuit he has held to in his directing over many years.
The Volunteers: To the War: Synopsis
In 1950, civil war broke out between the two regimes in the north and south of Korea. Soon afterwards the United States announced it would enter the war, took the opportunity to bomb northeast China, and sent its fleet to blockade the Taiwan Strait to obstruct the reunification of the Chinese nation. At this critical moment, China's leadership held a series of careful discussions and assessments and sent Premier Zhou to Moscow to request Stalin's support. Stalin, however, was equivocal, and the new People's Republic was in a difficult period of rebuilding. Yet to protect the country and keep the enemy beyond its borders, Chairman Mao resolutely sent the Chinese People's Volunteers, led by Comrade Peng Dehuai (Wang Yanhui), to fight in Korea.