In early 1930s in southern Jiangxi province, a rural family sent all their eight sons to join the Red Army but all the young men died on the battlefield.

Now, Advance Wave up Wave, a film based on that story has opened across Chinese mainland theaters.

The film, directed by Gao Xixi and written by award-winning scriptwriter Dong Zhe, features Liu Duanduan, Shao Bing, Yue Hong, Cheng Yuanyuan and Gao Qiang.

The movie, set in 1934, depicts the family's oldest son and his youngest brother, who are in the same Communist Party-led Red Army's unit fighting to death in a battle against the then ruling Kuomintang force, after their six brothers sacrificed their lives in previous battles.

"Among all my directorial works, Advance Wave up Wave is the largest in the terms of scale. We worked very hard to recreate history, " says Gao, 57, known for historical dramas such as the 2010 TV series Three Kingdoms.

Gao and his cast members attended a promotional event for the film in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19.