Director Zhang Wei promotes the upcoming film The Photographer, which will open on Dec 12. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

Zhang says that he believes photos are the best means to record the changes in history, and this was his inspiration for the story. The film was shot mostly in Shenzhen, and Huizhou in Guangdong province.

The film marks Zhang’s seventh directorial feature. The Shenzhen native, who is best known for exploring the life of ordinary people in a fast-changing era, saw his film, Factory Boss, win the award for best actor in the main competition of 34th Montreal World Film Festival.