Nanjing Massacre film wins heartfelt praise from North American viewers

The film "Dead To Rights", depicting events during the Nanjing Massacre, recently premiered in Los Angeles, United States, and Canadian cities of Calgary and Saskatoon, resonating deeply with audiences for its message that calls for remembering history and treasuring peace.

The film centers on a group of Chinese civilians who take refuge in a photography studio during the brutal occupation of the Chinese city of Nanjing by Japanese aggressors in 1937. In a desperate attempt to stay alive, they are forced to assist a Japanese military photographer in developing film -- only to discover that the negatives contain damning evidence of atrocities committed by Japanese forces across the city.

They secretly kept the negatives and risked their lives to deliver them to the outside world, hoping that the truth would be revealed.

After the screening, the audience at the premiere in Saskatoon spontaneously used their mobile phone flashlights to observe a moment of silence for the cruel history depicted in the film.

The moviegoers in Los Angeles responded strongly, saying that they "saw the cruelty of historical truth" depicted in the film.

"It was really sad. Very, very sad. And it's also sad that I didn't know about it (the Nanjing Massacre). It was really eye-opening," said a moviegoer.

"Seems like the best movie I've seen in a while," a viewer said.

"I've never read a whole captioned movie, this one I didn't miss a line. I didn't want to miss one line. I wanted to understand it all and read everything," said another audience member.

Viewers also praised of the high-quality design that went into the making of the film, as well as the wonderful performances.

"It's very well produced. It’s incredibly well-acted. The storyline is intriguing from beginning to end," said a moviegoer.

"It's not a documentary, but it really comes across as one. And you realize, even among the unbelievable suffering, there are incredible acts of heroism and courage," said another moviegoer in Los Angeles.

A powerful winter storm swept through Toronto and surrounding areas on Thursday, causing school closures and travel delays as heavy snowfall reduced visibility and affected transportation services.

Meteorological authorities warned that heavy snowfall would greatly reduce visibility, while local transportation officials reported that several roads had been completely closed and major surface transit routes were operating at reduced speeds due to the storm.

Toronto Pearson International Airport officials announced Thursday that air traffic control measures had been implemented due to severe weather, affecting several inbound and outbound flights. Meanwhile, several local school boards in Toronto fully suspended classes, while others enacted partial closures in response to the storm.