The Deadline

★Real-Time Narrative of Life and Death in 90 Minutes

Set during the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, six death row inmates are forced to carry out a suicide mission: to break out of a besieged city and ignite a signal for rescue. The entire film is presented in a 90-minute continuous shot, taking the audience from dark dungeons to signal towers, allowing for a "first-person perspective" experience:

Time Pressure: The countdown to execution at "three o'clock" is synchronized with the narrative.
Spatial Combat: The story spans across seven layers of city defenses, from underground cells to a hundred-meter arrow tower.
Human Trials: The death row team harbors a traitor, with each choice impacting the group's survival.

★New Heights in Action Aesthetics

The crew underwent a month of intensive training to create three major technical spectacles:
Hundred-Person Urban Warfare Long Take: 500 extras depict a city riot scene, capturing the clash of swords and fire effects in one continuous shot.
Archery Showcase by a Female General: Liu Guoqi plays a sharpshooter who must perform a three-part attack while in motion.
Fluid Cinematography: The Steadicam team carried 40 kg of equipment, navigating through fire and muddy terrain.

★Key Award Analysis

The film has swept international film festivals with its "three-dimensional immersive system":
Physiological Empathy: The continuous shot technique synchronizes the audience's heart rates with the characters'.
Historical Restoration: Accurate depictions of "sleeved armor" and combat tactics from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
Soundscape Construction: The battlefield's roars and weapon clashes utilize Dolby Atmos technology for precise location audio.

★Industry Impact

The film rewrites the logic of costume filmmaking, being praised by China Film Report as the "Eastern version of 1917."
It has been included as a case study in the Beijing Film Academy's directing curriculum, becoming a required course on "Long Take Coordination."
Additionally, it facilitated the establishment of the "Asian Action Film Technical Alliance," with joint development of new shooting equipment by directors from China, Japan, and South Korea.
Set to premiere during the Qingming holiday, this film represents one of the boldest visual experiments in the history of Chinese cinema!