Director Feng Xiaogang has a conversation with Ang Lee at Tsinghua University on Monday. (CHINA DAILY)
Avatar then earned 1.3 billion yuan, ushering in a cinematic revolution.
Now, China has 21,000 screens, or 55 percent of the total in the country, capable of screening films in the 3-D format.
Also, an overwhelming number of blockbusters, which have played a pivotal role in making China the world's second-largest movie market, are screened in the 3-D format.
As for Lee, despite his film's technological breakthrough making headlines, the director -- in his trademark modest style -- seems a bit apprehensive about how the movie will be received.
"I'm very nervous. I don't know if I have done a good job or a bad one," says the low-profile director.
The film will be simultaneously released on Nov 11 in both China and the United States.
The 62-year-old director received a Confucian-style education in Taiwan and polished his cinematic skills in the U.S.. To that extent, very few directors have been able to bridge East and West so well.
But interestingly, while the film has been praised in China, reaction in the West has been tepid.
As for the Ang Lee's reaction, he says: "For me, there is no separation between format and content. I know that this film is experimental, somewhat ahead of its time. But it could in the future change the way films are made and watched."
Feng Xiaogang, one of China's most commercially successful directors, admires Lee, 62, for having the courage to venture into unknown territory.
In a conversation with Lee at Tsinghua University on Monday night, Feng said Lee is always trying to surprise the audience.
"All that a director wants to do is to express himself ... and for filmmakers, the happiest thing is that every day is a new journey. We're learning, but not repeating during filming," says Feng.
Although it is tough to predict how Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk will influence the movie industry, the film will definitely spark change, whether it's a flop or a hit, film movie critics agree.
