Zhang Yimou's new action epic 'Shadow' wins plaudits

The latest production of Zhang made its world premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival last year. The film has raked 627 million yuan ($92.5 million) since it was released on Sept 30 in China.

Zhang once told Chinese media that the story was inspired by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's 1980 film Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior) and his own curiosity about the lives of body doubles in Chinese history.

The director noted that the film was different from his previous productions, which were mostly bright-colored, with the main color tone of the film this time being black and white, similar to that of a traditional Chinese-brush painting.