'' Back to 1942 '' is a 2012 Chinese historical film directed by Feng Xiaogang . It is based on Liu Zhenyun 's novel '' Remembering 1942 '' , and is about a major famine in Henan , China , during the Second Sino-Japanese War . On 11 November 2012 , the film premiered at the International Rome Film Festival . The film was selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards , but was not nominated
86th Academy Awards
86th Academy Awards
Back to 1942