A war film about the life and death of a group of girls caught in the middle of gunfires in Nanjing during the Japanese invasion of China in 1937. Directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Christian Bale and newcomer Ni Ni, the Flowers of War has been selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards.

Based on the novel "The 13 Women of Nanjing by Geling Yan", the film sets out in the city's rubble after its fall on Dec. 13, 1937. In the middle of gunfires is the American mortician named John Miller, who arrives in Nanjing to make a quick buck by burying a priest in the city's cathedral. After being repeatedly exposed to the horrors of war, however, he dons the priest's robes and assumes the mantle of protecting a group of schoolgirls and colourfully dressed courtesans from the atrocities of the occupation.

The owers of War is the most expensive movie in Chinese film history, with a production budget of $94 million.