Art house winner screened on International Women's Day

Off the Stage, the acclaimed art house film that won He Saifei the Best Actress award at the 36th Golden Rooster Awards, opened in domestic theaters on March 8, International Women's Day.

Adapted from Ai Wei's award-winning novella Guo Wang (Past), the story follows a former Yueju Opera star as she journeys back to her hometown in the advanced stages of a grave illness, seeking reconciliation with her estranged adult children.

Director Qiao Liang, a native of Jilin province in Northeast China, said that the movie was filmed in the local dialect of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, as he wanted to imbue the story with the flavor of the province, which is known as the birthplace of Yueju Opera.

The film premiered earlier this week, with He and co-actor Yuan Wenkang in attendance. A renowned Yueju Opera performer who began to act in films and TV dramas in the mid-1980s, He said that one of the most captivating aspects of being an actor is the opportunity to experience various lives.

Although she initially hesitated to take on the role as the character's personality contrasted sharply with her own, she said that she ultimately convinced herself by being moved by the character's almost crazy enthusiasm for the stage.