The documentary Yasukuni Shrine, eight years in the making by a Chinese director, was recently invited to the 57th Berlin International Film Festival in 2007 before it has even been finished.

This significant documentary on the controversial Japanese war shrine has both disclosed its production plans and premiered select clips at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in April, firmly grasping both domestic and international attention. It was immediately invited by Tokyo International Film Festival's officials, who thought this film catalogued "a Yasukuni Shrine that even Japanese people don't know about."

Now, several Asian international film festivals' curators are also trying to present this film to their platforms around China, Japan and South Korea at the same time next August.

With former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visiting the Tokyo war shrine since 2001, it has become a worldwide topic and drawn strong protests from various Asian countries, including China and South Korea. Thus, the shrine determined to forbid any organization and individual to shoot films, which would "hurt those dead military officials and soldiers' honor."

Chinese director Li Ying and producer Zhang Yi began this independent documentary way back in 1997. Li has spent eight years there, while overcoming huge difficulties, to record over 180 hours of footage about the shrine. Many film materials are exclusive and unique. 

Li told the Youth Times on December 12 that he is sparing no effort to produce this film now. He spoke frankly, saying that he hoped to "produce a film to disclose the truth hiding in the 'beauty and cruelty' of the soul of Yasukuni Shrine." However, due to the topic's sensitivity, the production has been difficult since produced only by his Longying Company for over eight years.

Li admitted that at this key juncture, he hopes to garner support from relevant Chinese organizations and enterprises to co-produce this film. He said, "The war and peace issue reflected by Yasukuni Shrine is a universal problem faced by the whole world now. I believe if there is cooperation, and if we put it on the international platforms like Berlin film festival as a cut-in view on Asia to jointly promote the history studies in Asia, it will hugely enhance the knowledge and understandings among Asian countries. Then we can get over Yasukuni Shrine, the unavoidable barrier, together to be in a future of real friendliness."

(China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, December 14, 2006)