A message from the director

The film To Shoot without Shooting is based on the short story Mijin-den (The Story of a Master) by the twentieth-century Japanese author Atsushi Nakajima (1909-1942), and is derived from Chinese tradition.

The hero, Ji Chang, who, at the beginning of the story is a skilled archer, has even forgotten what a bow is by the end of the story.

The philosophical concept from ancient China has significance for us, and for all our fellow mankind, living in todays nuclear age.

The theme of the film intends to suggest a pattern of human intelligence that serves the interests of peace.

In addition to this theoretical aspect, the actual work of creating the film was a positive and forward-looking example of international collaboration and cooperation between Chinese and Japanese artists and technicians who employed their talents in a practical, concrete manner to strengthen universal understanding, and further the ideal of world peace.