Poster of "Go Away Mr. Tumor."
The film Go Away, Mr. Tumor will represent China in her bid for Best Foreign Language Film for the 88th Academy Awards.
According to the official website of the Academy Awards, Go Away, Mr. Tumor, based on a real life story of cartoonist Xiang Yao (who went by her penname Xiong Dun) and her battle with lymphoid cancer, will be China's entry for consideration among submissions from 81 countries and regions this year. Sino-French production Wolf Totem and Cannes-winning director Jia Zhangke's Mountains May Depart, both previously rumored to be China's submission for the 88th Academy Awards, were not found on the list.
Han Yan, director of the film which stars actress Bai Baihe and heartthrob Daniel Wu, said he wasn't aware that his film was considered for the Oscars.
"I learned about the news through the media. A couples of days ago my colleagues from Wanda Cinemas asked me repeatedly to give them a copy of my resume and photo. Now I realize that it may have had something to do with this matter.
There are so many excellent films, and we are really lucky that Go Away, Mr. Tumor was chosen! I want to thank everyone! I want to thank @Xiong Dun. With my mind settled as still water, I want to proceed with hard work," wrote Han on his official Sina Weibo account.
Xiang (June 21,1982 - Nov 16, 2012) was diagnosed with lymphoid cancer in 2011. It is reported that Xiang was bored during her stay in the hospital and decided to draw her experiences battling cancer in cartoons. Her optimistic attitude towards illness and humorous stories, published in a series titled Go Away, Mr. Tumor, went viral on China's social media as she published them on her Sina Weibo account. A book of the same name was published in August, 2012, three months before Xiong died.
