Shen Ao, director of the currently popular war film "Dead to Rights," called on audiences to "remember history, honor the fallen heroes, cherish peace, and forge a better future," when he attended a film exchange press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

As part of the events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, "Dead to Rights," a film about the Nanjing Massacre during the war, has maintained its dominance at China's summer box office, grossing over 1.8 billion yuan (about $251 million) within two weeks of its July 25 debut. 

Drawing on verified photographic evidence of Japanese wartime atrocities during the Nanjing Massacre, the movie tells the story of a group of Chinese civilians who seek refuge in a photography studio during the brutal occupation of Nanjing by Japanese aggressors in 1937.

Held by the State Council Information Office, the press conference invited representatives from the domestic film industry to exchange views with Chinese and foreign journalists on the theme of promoting the high-quality development of the movie industry.