A scene from The Witness Photo: CFP

Directed by South Korean director Ahn Sang-hoon, starring Chinese hit actress Yang Mi and actors Lu Han and Zhu Yawen, the film, The Witness, hits Chinese cinemas on Friday.

The story features a murder case with different testimonies from two witnesses, a young boy and a blind girl who eventually joined hands to help to solve the case.

The Witness is adapted from the South Korean film The Blind (2011), also directed by Ahn, which won the Best Actress and the Best Screenplay Award at the 48th Grand Bell Awards in South Korea in 2011.

The script and screenplay were adjusted for the Chinese market.

Writer Gu Xiaobai explained at the press conference in Beijing on Wednesday that he added more local elements that Chinese audiences should be able related to. He said he hopes the audience can understand the love and hate that triggers the killer to commit crimes.

Ahn told the Global Times that he feels The Witness is more like creating a new film rather than just adapting an already existing film, since there's more exquisite emotional creations for each character.

The film gathered several popular Chinese stars. Yang Mi, who rose to fame for her role in TV drama Gong and the Tiny Times film series, is among one of the most popular young Chinese actresses. Although criticized for her acting skills, she keeps presenting prolific work and ranks among the top 10 Forbes China Celebrities in 2013 and 2014.

"I've always had a dream of being a good actress, all the hard work is an accumulation of my experiences," Yang told the Global Times.

This is the second big screen role for Chinese singer and actor Lu Han after he left the hit South Korean singing group EXO to develop his career in his homeland. He was awarded the Most Popular Actor in the 22nd Beijing College Student Film Festival in 2015.