A documentary portraying the tragic Nanjing Massacre of World
War II has draw critical acclaim at the US Sundance Film
Festival.
Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman directed the film, which shows
the violence the invading Japanese troops committed against the
citizens of Nanjing, then capital of the Kuomingtang government,
from a western perspective.
The movie draws on a large number of historic pictures and
written records to tell the story of brave western people,
including German John Rabe and American Minnie Vautrin, who set up
the Nanjing International Safety Zone, which protected more than
200,000 local citizens after Japanese forces invaded Nanjing.
The film-makers interviewed around 80 survivors and retired
Japanese servicemen who witnessed the massacre while they were
making the film.
Producer Ted Leonsis said he hopes the movie will help people
learn the truth about the Nanjing Massacre and focus other
film-makers' attention on the incident.
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(CRI January 27, 2007)