Beijing, May 04: Chinese film producers are preparing to shoot a film on the nation's fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), with leading lady Gong Li being recruited to play a head nurse at the front lines of the fight against the disease, state press said today. Shooting for the film is expected to begin by May 12 with a July release planned, the Beijing Times reported, citing officials from the Senwei audio-visual company.
Producers are hoping gong will play the role of a head nurse who selflessly leads her charges into the fight against the mysterious disease that so far has killed 190 in China and infected nearly 4,000.
The film will center on the tragic death of a nurse who becomes infected with SARS as the government hastens emergency measures to curb the spread of the disease.
A veteran of 21 films, gong came to international fame in Chinese director Zhang Yimou's films like "the story of Qiu Ju," "Red Sorghum," "Raise the Red Latern," and "Judou."
After failing to contain the epidemic since it was first discovered in southern Guangdong province in November, the government has recently led a nationwide health and propaganda campaign to combat the outbreak. Bureau Report