Film tribute to a music hero

The Sino-Kazakh coproduction, Composer, a biographical film about Chinese composer Xian Xinghai, has begun filming in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, and is set to premiere on June 13, 2018. [Photos provided to China Daily]

The first Sino-Kazakh coproduction, Composer, based on the life of musician Xian Xinghai, has begun filming in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.

A ceremony to mark the event was held as President Xi Jinping is currently on a state visit to the country.

The biographical drama chronicles Xian's final years (1940-45) in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, and Moscow.

Beijing-based studio Shinework Pictures, which mainly works on coproductions with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, has teamed up with Kazakhfilm JSC, the largest studio in Kazakhstan, to coproduce the movie.

The cast features A-lister Hu Jun as Xian and Kazakh star Berik Aitzhanov as Bakhitzhan Baykadamov, a famous Kazakh composer and one of Xian's best friends.

The script was written by Su Xiaowei, and the movie will be directed by ethnic Uygur filmmaker Xierzati Yahefu from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, who made the 2014 biographical movie Genuine Love.

Jonathan Shen, founder of Shinework Pictures, says the idea for the movie came from a speech Xi delivered at Nazarbayev University in Astana in September 2013.

In the speech, Xi spoke about Xian, and this led Shen to research the singer.