Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has become a phenomenal movie in China. It follows a debt-ridden Chinese chef who travels to the Middle East to make money, only to find himself caught between war and peace, life and death. He is not a superhero. He is an ordinary man – and that is the point. Through his eyes, the film turns war into something deeply human: a warm meal, children protected from conflict, and ordinary people trying to survive. As more Chinese citizens live and work around the world, and wars continue to threaten civilian lives, the story has resonated far beyond China. As the film reaches cinemas worldwide, CGTN’s Tian Wei spoke with its director and screenwriter, Wen Muye, known for telling stories of ordinary people. Why did he choose war – and an ordinary Chinese chef – to tell this story?