“This is the final film that seals my acting career,” said 95-year-old Chinese actor Chang Feng, of “The Return,” which plays this week in competition at the Shanghai International Film Festival. “The director, the screenwriter, and the entire crew have put so much heart into this film, I hope it wins the award.”
The film may also mark the beginning of another. It is the feature directing debut of well-established Chinese actress Qin Hailu.
The film tells the story of an old soldier’s longing to return home to mainland China. Born in the war days, and growing up overseas, the old man finds his only comfort in the nostalgic sounds of the Red Envelope Club, a form of cabaret that originated in Taiwan in the 1960s as an imitation of Shanghai cabaret.
Yang Wei, CEO of Hehe Pictures, film producer Kong Yangjun, and the main cast members including Chang Feng, Ge Lei, Lei Kesheng and Sang Mingsheng attended the press conference Sunday in Shanghai. “The Return” is set to hit Chinese movie theaters on Sept. 12, 2019.