Kadokawa plots Chinese Revolution

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Production News

Japanese director Sugawara Hiroshi (菅原浩志) is to direct a drama film about the friendship 100 years ago between Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen and Umaya Shokichi, the Japanese man who bankrolled him.

With a working title of Revolution 1911, the film is currently set as a co-production between Hong Kong's Salon Films (沙龍電影有限公司) and Japan's Kadokawa group (角川).

Additional Chinese partners are expected to be brought in as the film aims to shoot extensively in China. Salon may also bring in others from Singapore.

The budget is set at close to ¥800 million ($9.8 million) with production set to get underway by April or may next year.

Production is by Kadokawa's Tsuchikawa Tsutomu (土川勉), with Kadokawa's Kadokawa Tsuguhiko (角川歴彦) and Salon's Fred Wang (汪長禹) as executive producers.

The first drafts of the screenplay have been written in Japanese by Sugawara, who expects to bring another writer for a final polish. The friendship between Sun and Umaya was struck up when both men were in their mid twenties and despite their inability to communicate in each other's languages.

"They appear to have actually spoken to each other in English, though they may also have communicated with each other in writing as Chinese characters are common to both Chinese and Japanese languages," said Sugawara.

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