Chinese actress Jiang Wenli and her director husband Gu Changwei brought their award-winning film, And the Spring Comes, to its first domestic screening in Beijing on Monday.

Lead actress Jiang Wenli (L) and director Gu Changwei talk about the film, And the Spring Comes, in Beijing on Monday, November 5, 2007.

The film was screened for a limited audience at the China National Film Museum, where viewers were "blown away" by its poignant story, according to the website Sina.com.cn.

The art-house film premiered at the recent Rome Film Festival and earned Jiang a best actress award.

In the film, Jiang plays a small-town opera singer who endures many setbacks in chasing her dream of becoming an opera star.

It is the second feature film of Gu, the long-time cinematographer-turned director. His previous work, Peacock, won the Silver Bear award at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival.

"The new film has more to offer than Peacock," a movie critic said after the screening, adding that Jiang's performance hits home.

The film is likely to open in Chinese theaters in February, when "the spring does come," Sina quoted Gu as saying.
 
(CRI.cn November 7, 2007)