The production team behind the film “Confidential” (亲密敌人) have announced that the film will be released during the Spring Festival period in an effort to tap into the lucrative holiday market. The film is directed by and stars Xu Jinglei, with other stars including Stanley Huang, Christy Chung and Gigi Leung, according to a report in Beijing Times.
The inspiration behind “Confidential” comes from Xu’s discontent with her previous piece “A Story of Lala’s Promotion”, after she decided that she could do better in the genre of workplace romance.
The film takes place within the competitive setting of investment banks. Xu spent one year writing the script and during this time she turned to a friend who had more than ten years work experience in investment banks. She also went to Hong Kong to interview elite management executives from investment banks.
As the first female director to tackle the spring festival slot, Xu Jinglei is facing off against blockbusters such as Zhang Yimou’s “The Flowers of War”, and Hark Tsui’s “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D”.
She revealed that “I am not afraid of this competition. The genres of those films are acrobatic fighting films and war films, while mine is a modern romance.”
In order to ensure the quality of the film, Xu has cut out half of the commercials.
The film is slated for release on December 23.
Zhang Ting
Chinese Films