Legend of the Demon Cat (Chinese: 妖猫传; pinyin: Yāo Māo Zhuàn) is a 2017 Xianxia fantasy mystery film directed by Chen Kaige, based on the novel Śramaṇa Kūkai (Japanese:沙門空海 唐の国にて鬼と宴す) written by Japanese writer Yoneyama Mineo, known under the pen-name Baku Yumemakura.[5][3] It was released in China in December 2017.[6][7]
The story is set in China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). A demon cat appears and breaks the peace of the capital, Chang’an City, causing a series of strange events. Poet Bai Letian and Monk Kukai join together to investigate the death of Concubine Yang by following the trail left by the cat, unveiling a buried fact.[1]
A set costing US$200 million and five years to create was constructed for the film. It was reported that the set will be turned into a theme park.[8]
| Awards | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Director | Chen Kaige | Nominated | [9] |
| Best Visual Effects | N/A | Won | [10] | |
| 23rd Huading Awards | Best Director | Chen Kaige | Nominated | [11] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Sandrine Pinna | Won | [citation needed] | |
| 9th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Best Film | Legend of the Demon Cat | Nominated | [12] |
| Best Director | Chen Kaige | Nominated | ||
| 12th Asian Film Awards | Best Director | Chen Kaige | Nominated | [13][14] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Kitty Zhang | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography | Cao Yu | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design | Chen Tongxun | Won | ||
| Best Production Design | Tu Nan and Lu Wei | Won | ||
| Best Visual Effects | Ishi Norio | Won |
The story is set in China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). A demon cat appears and breaks the peace of the capital, Chang’an City, causing a series of strange events. Poet Bai Letian and Monk Kukai join together to investigate the death of Concubine Yang by following the trail left by the cat, unveiling a buried fact.[1]
A set costing US$200 million and five years to create was constructed for the film. It was reported that the set will be turned into a theme park.[8]
| Awards | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Director | Chen Kaige | Nominated | [9] |
| Best Visual Effects | N/A | Won | [10] | |
| 23rd Huading Awards | Best Director | Chen Kaige | Nominated | [11] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Sandrine Pinna | Won | [citation needed] | |
| 9th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Best Film | Legend of the Demon Cat | Nominated | [12]
|