'The Taste of Apple' brings village hero to screen
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, August 16, 2018
Biopic "The Taste of Apple" returned to its roots in a remote village in Hebei province on Tuesday for a special premiere to show villagers their hero Li Baoguo reenacted on the big screen.
The film, directed by Zhao Qi and written by Qu Shifei, starring actors Lin Yongjian, Yan Danchen, You Yong and Wu Jun, is based on the true story of Professor Li Baoguo.
China's well-known forestry expert, Professor Li Baoguo of Hebei Agricultural University, who worked tirelessly to improve villagers' lives over the past 35 years by exploring and applying technology in farming to let farmers, especially apple growers, become rich at the foot of Taihang Mountain, dedicated his life to the cause and died in 2016 in the village.
"In my life, the proudest thing is to turn me into a farmer and turn more and more farmers into someone like me," Li Baoguo once said. His work enabled Gangdi village to go from a poor village to the richest village in Neiqiu county, Xingtai city, Hebei province. The villagers revere him as a hero and as one of their own family. Many shed tears as they watched the film on Tuesday night.
"I've watched this film three times. I was touched every time I saw it. I think that Professor Li was a great man," said Yang Shuangniu, the party secretary of Gangdi village, "He was a university professor. He was a doctoral tutor. He always thought about the people. He not only had a good career at university, but also helped us rise from poverty to riches."
Director Zhao Qi spoke at the event: "The filming environment of this film is extremely difficult, but I thought that Professor Li Baoguo was in a more difficult situation, helping the villagers out of poverty and become rich for decades... The whole crew and cast were inspired by the spirit of Professor Li Baoguo. "
Lin Yongjian, a famous actor in China who plays Professor Li Baoguo, also attended the conference. For this performance, Lin Yongjian said that this was a very memorable experience in his acting career. "This role makes me feel full of responsibility, as well as pressure. During the filming process, the director, the screenwriter, and other actors were discussing together every day. Studying characters and studying the script became a must in order to make everything work in the film and convey the spirit of Professor Li Baoguo to the society."
Professor Li Baoguo's wife, Guo Suping, was also present at the event. Much of the details in the film are derived from the real-life experiences of Professor Guo Suping and Professor Li Baoguo. She gave her approval for the film adaptation.
However, the prospects for "The Taste of Apple" were not deemed to be great in the market and it suffered from low admissions and showtime scheduling. But then, legendary film executive Dr. Jack Q. Gao lent his hand and placed the film on his new platform of Smart Cinema.
Smart Cinema is a new venture by Gao, who was once the former senior vice president of Wanda Cultural Industrial Group and CEO of International Investments and Operations of Dalian Wanda Group. The new ambitious outlet was launched in May in Shenzhen to screen new films on mobile devices at the same time they hit cinemas, with Gao as the venture's CEO.
The app will turn hundreds of millions of mobile devices into mini movie screens, giving moviegoers more options to choose flexibly rather than having to go to theaters at a certain fixed venue at a fixed time.
They also brought the latest "mobile giant screen" technology, akin to a virtual reality helmet to Gangdi village, so that the local residents, who are not able to go to a cinema in their rural neighborhood, can experience the vivid pictures in a convenient way.
"We are especially honored to work with the film 'The Taste of Apple.' Through the Smart Cinema, the film will be watched by more people. Many places in China have no physical cinemas. People would miss out on such an excellent work. Smart Cinema will help you realize your wishes to see the film."
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