Shaolin opens another door

Young Iranians are fans of kung fu and Chinese are fascinated by 'mysterious' Iran. Now, a film coproduction gives both sides more to bond over. Xu Fan reports.

The past decades have seen numerous foreign movies featuring kung fu, and now the martial art will connect China and Iran on the big screen.

Way to Shaolin is the first joint film production of the two countries.

When Chinese producer Shen Jian paid a visit to Iran last year, he was surprised by the locals' enthusiasm for Chinese martial arts.

Many young Iranians spoke of Jet Li, the Chinese kung fu star, and his 1982 film The Shaolin Temple, which captivated a generation of Chinese and ushered in a golden era for martial arts genre in the mainland.

"But it was kind of sad that most Iranians have very few opportunities to see Chinese martial arts movies on the big screen," says Shen. "We believe they (martial arts films) have a big market in Iran."

Iran has film censorship rules that guide domestic titles and foreign movies.

So, most Iranian movie enthusiasts see Jet Li and his martial arts movies using video discs.

Despite its lack of access to global films, Iranian cinema has made its mark in the world at least since the 1990s.

Films such as A Separation that won the best foreign language Oscar in 2012 and Children of Heaven, the first Iranian movie nominated for an Oscar in 1998, have ensured that Iranian filmmakers have received critical acclaim at top film festivals around the world.

Iran's local market and its influence in the region has lured Shen to try and tap this somewhat virgin field for Chinese filmmakers.

Shen, who got an idea for a movie during his Middle East tour, is now seeking to take advantage of this opportunity.

In recent years, Iran has been seeking more international cooperations in the movie industry to boost its cultural presence in the global market.

Last July, Hojatollah Ayoubi, head of Iran's Cinematic Organization, the country's main movie regulator, made his first trip to China.

Ayoubi says the two countries, both with long histories and resourceful filmmakers, can cooperate to give Chinese and Iranian audiences more knowledge about each other, and take advantage of the two movie markets, the Chinese newspaper Guangming Daily reported.

"There are reportedly tens of thousands of Iranian youth now practicing Chinese martial arts, which means a movie about the subject is quite likely to win their hearts," says Shen.

Jointly financed by the Chinese studio ShineWork Media and Iran's Farabi Cinema Foundation, work on Way to Shaolin was initiated during the 2015 Fajr International Film Festival.

Set in present-day Iran and China, the tale is about a young Iranian's journey to learn Shaolin kung fu, one of China's oldest martial arts.

The first version of the script was completed recently and a hunt for the cast is now on. Shen, also the founder of ShineWork, says shooting for the film will begin later this year and the budget for the film is around $10 million.

While China's booming film market is seeing a rising number of coming-of-age comedies, Way to Shaolin is an action comedy.

The Shaolin Temple in Central China's Henan province, hailed as the cradle of Chinese martial arts, will provide guidance on the action choreography and also locations for the movie, says Shen.

"Most foreigners who want to learn Chinese wushu (kung fu) usually seek out the Shaolin Temple," he says.

"If you visit the temple, you'll see people from different ethnicities and countries practicing there," says Shen.

Some Chinese movie fans tell China Daily that they would be keen to see a Sino-Iran movie, as Iran is a "mysterious" country for them.

Zhang Shaohe, an avid moviegoer from Beijing, says: "Chinese theaters are now dominated by Hollywood films. So, it will be cool to see a title featuring a kung fu hero from a different culture."

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn

Hojatollah Ayoubi (fifth left, second row), head of Iran's Cinematic Organization, with Shi Yongxin (sixth left, second row), the abbot of Shaolin Temple, and monks and others during a trip to the temple in Henan province. Provided To China Daily.