'Genghis Khan' portrays young conqueror

Hu Jun in the film. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The new film Genghis Khan, produced by French director Jean-Jacques Annaud and helmed by ethnic Mongolian director Hasichaolu from China, will open across the Chinese mainland on Dec 22.

A short documentary about the movie's cinematography and postproduction was released at the ongoing 20th Shanghai International Film Festival.

Hasichaolu, who has won awards at international film festivals, says the movie is the first of its kind to feature a young Khan. Chinese cinemas have shown biographies about the prestigious Mongolian conquer but none focusing on his early life.

The big-budget film also uses over 2,000 scenes with special effects to portray magic.

William Chan, the 31-year-old Hong Kong singer-actor, plays Khan. Lin Yun, known for her role in China's highest-grossing movie, The Mermaid, plays Khan's fiancee. Mainland actor Hu Jun, known for tough-guy roles, plays the villain — a former tribal leader whose father is beheaded by Khan’s father.

Hu says nearly two-thirds of his scenes were shot in front of green screens and he spent an average of five hours a day on wardrobe and makeup.

Annaud, who's known by Chinese for Wolf Totem, says in a video clip released during the event that his previous filming experience in the Inner Mongolian autonomous region impressed him.

He was happy to join the project and return to the region. The Sino-French coproduction Wolf Totem, adapted from the namesake best-selling novel, was mostly shot in Inner Mongolia.