A biopic on the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping will be released nationwide on Friday.

"A Man of the People," directed by Lei Xianhe, stars Lu Qi and Yu Hui, tells the story of Deng while he lived and worked in Xinjian county, Jiangxi province, between 1969 and 1973. Lu Qi also co-directed the film.

Famous screenwriter Wang Xingdong developed and polished the script for 15 years, beginning as early as 2003, and interviewed many people from the area for their memories of Deng. Deng is best known for being the Chinese leader and architect of reform and opening-up in 1978, which kicked off China's path to becoming a moderately prosperous country. The film project officially started in 2017 and began shooting in 2020 after assembling an award-winning cast and crew in an attempt to be as realistic as possible. 

The film was produced by Jiangxi Film Studio and was also supported by the four provincial governments of Jiangxi, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Sichuan. 

After advanced screenings began in October 2021, it has received rave reviews from experts, scholars, and historians, as well as more than 400,000 enthusiastic audience members. It also went on to earn five award nominations in February from the Nice International Film Festival 2022 in France, including best director and best original screenplay of a foreign language feature film. The award winners will be announced in May.

After an advanced screening of the film, professor Zhang Weiwei of Fudan University, who once served as a translator for Deng, spoke highly of the portrayal of the great man in the movie. "Deng Xiaoping, played by actor Lu Qi, is very authentic, which reflects Deng's determined and open-minded character very well, and goes deep into his inner world," Zhang said. "This time, it is not only authentic in appearance, but also in spirit."

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