Huang Lei's movie, What a Wonderful Family, centering on a three-generation family, is a rare small-budget Chinese film to be released abroad.（Photo provided to China Daily）
Yamada, in a long career, has won a number of awards, including four best picture prizes from the Japanese Academy Awards.
So, Gu purchased the film rights and persuaded Huang to direct the movie, as he believed that only Huang, who has starred in dozens of family-themed productions, could capture the nuances of a family drama.
Huang, who shot to fame with Chen Kaige's art-house drama Life on a String in 1991, has acted in a number of TV series, movies and stage plays, besides reality shows.
He is also a singer, a writer, founder of a culinary startup and a popular teacher at Beijing Film Academy.
Asked why he waited so long to direct his first film, Huang, 46, says: "I wrote my first movie script at age 30, but the timing was not right then."
The script was, however, turned into Sishui Nianhua (Time Passes Like Flowing Water), a 23-episode TV series, which he directed.
Later, Huang directed several other TV series. The turning point, to be a film director, finally came thanks to Gu.
"When I was a student at Beijing Film Academy, Yamada was one of my favorite foreign directors. So, I feel honored to remake his film," Huang says.
"Besides, I am a middle-aged man now. Time has given me knowledge, making me better understand the joys and sorrows of life.
"Sometimes, when a couple have been married for many years, a husband may take all what his wife has done for him for granted. He becomes indifferent," he says.
