by Director Shen Haofang
The documentary film <Behind Bayonets and Barbed Wire> took “ Mukden Allied POW” established in Shenyang 70 years ago as the entry point to develop the plot. The film told the stories of POWs by interviewing the former prisoners or their relatives, combining recreation of their experiences and historical records. This documentary also tried to structure an unique WWII panorama by presenting the little-known stories to the audience.
With the precious “opportunity” and special “perspective”, the relevant “structure” is required to reflect the grand structure of World War II. Without such grand structure, people could not be awaken from the meditation and suffering by the misery of the POWs. Without such grand structure, people could not sense the changes of world shape after the ending of war 70 years ago. The in-depth exploration of this subject has realistic significance. To show this story to the audience is the creating purport of the movie.
As a Chinese director, it’s a rare experience to tell this story by standing at the critical of the 70th anniversary of the ending of WW II.