"I have been working all the time, it is tiring," she said. "But my fans never left me. Many people worry about me, which upsets me. What I can do now is to do my job and make more good films."
Also starring in the film are veteran thespians Jiang Wenli and Pu Cunxin. Both have been ambassadors of AIDS awareness campaigns.
Gu expects the film to be released on December. An accomplished cinematographer who works frequently with Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, Gu made a name for himself with such award-winning flicks as Peacock and And the Spring Comes.
Gu said he will also shoot a documentary on AIDS and plans to complete it at the same time as the feature. It was his wife Jiang who inspired him to make the documentary after seeing how one such film in Thailand had helped raise awareness of the disease.