"Mountains and Rivers Bearing Witness," which released nationwide on Aug. 15, is produced by China Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio (Group). Director Han Jinna, who co-directed the film with general director Yu Peng and directors Huang Yue, Zhang Ning and Li Yan, emphasized its commitment to authenticity.

"The most distinctive feature of this film is its authenticity," Han said. "All footage is genuinely captured — not fictionalized film or television drama. The power of truth is what moves and touches people most profoundly."

Han described the project as a solemn duty to utilize the studio's unique archive of historical footage.

"At this particularly significant moment, China Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio (Group) recognizes its responsibility and obligation to produce this film," Han said. "As the archivist and custodian of this historical footage, our studio possesses invaluable visual materials dating back to the Yan'an Film Troupe period. This unique advantage makes it our honor to undertake such a responsibility at this time."

Han Jinna, one of directors of "Mountains and Rivers Bearing Witness," speaks in an interview with China.org.cn in Beijing, Aug. 11, 2025 (CHINA.ORG.CN) 

The documentary covers the period from Japan's invasion of northeast China in 1931 until its surrender in 1945. The project specifically avoided dramatized re-enactments, which are often used when archival material is limited.

This decision pushed the team to enhance its digital restoration efforts and adopt computer-generated imagery animation to fill narrative gaps. The studio has a dedicated film restoration team specializing in handling celluloid — the highly flammable, delicate nitrate-based film stock used in the early and mid-20th century.

"We have a film restoration team that employs digitalization and manual frame-by-frame repair methods to enhance the clarity and improve the quality," Han revealed. "There is a dramatic difference in the quality before and after restoration."

Beyond its own archives, the production incorporated never-before-seen footage from Soviet film director Roman Karmen, who documented the war in China from 1938 to 1939. "The All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company provided these archival materials to us," Han said. "This marks the first time these visual records have been seen."

To convey the human experience of the war, the filmmakers wove first-person accounts from diaries, memoirs and oral histories throughout the documentary. "We integrated the experiences of these individuals into the film using first-person narration, enhancing both its credibility and emotional impact," Han explained.

The documentary also incorporates Japanese historical materials, including participants' oral accounts, combat reports and war criminals' confessions, all presented with Japanese voice actors reading the accounts. "This approach wasn't meant for argumentation, but to let the facts speak for themselves."

A poster for "Mountains and Rivers Bearing Witness." （HUAXIA FILM） 

Han said that a core theme of the film is the pivotal role of the Communist Party of China (CPC). "We engaged in continuous discussions with experts, held countless planning meetings within our team, built frameworks, dismantled them and rebuilt them, until we finally identified a clear narrative thread: Examining the pivotal role the Communist Party of China (CPC) played in every major historical event throughout the 14-year War of Resistance," Han said.

Despite its focus on war's brutality, Han said the documentary's ultimate message advocates for peace.

"Powerful nations bear greater responsibility in safeguarding peace … Through this documentary, we hope to help contemporary audiences understand that war must be avoided whenever possible, to prevent ordinary people from suffering its devastating consequences."