Read this passage and decide whether the following statements are true or false. Passage A In the Heat of the Sun 1 In the Heat of the Sun is a 1994 Chinese film directed and written by Jiang Wen. This was Jiang Wen’s first foray into directing after years as a leading man. The film is based loosely on author Wang Shuo’s novel Wild Beast. 2 The film is set in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. It is told from the perspective of Ma Xiaojun, nicknamed Monkey, who is a teenage boy at the time. Most of the story happens during one summer, so the main characters are even freer because there is no school. 3 The film was commercially successful in China. In contrast to the Cultural Revolution-set films of Chinese 5th-generation filmmakers which put the era into a larger historical setting, In the Heat of the Sun is mellow and dream-like, portraying memories of that era with somewhat positive and personal resonances. 4 Jiang Wen cast three youngsters with no acting experience but with notable athletic experiences: Xia Yu was the skateboarding champion in his hometown Qingdao, Tao Hong was a synchronized swimmer on the Chinese national team, while Zuo Xiaoqing was a rhythmic gymnast also on the Chinese national team. All three enrolled in professional acting schools within a year of the film’s release and became successful actors. 5 Well received in China and the Chinese-speaking world but very obscure in the United States, the film won the 51st Venice Film Festival’s Best Actor Award for its young lead actor Xia Yu as well as the Golden Horse Film Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. American director Quentin Tarantino also gave high praises to the film, calling it “really great.” It was the first People’s Republic of China film to win Best Picture in the Golden Horse Film Awards, in the very year when Chinese-language films from the mainland were first allowed to participate. Words and phrases: