'Cliff Walkers' The veteran auteur's latest feature is set in the snowy, shadowy world of 1930s Manchukou, the pre-WWII puppet state established in Northern China by Imperial Japan. Zhang Yimou's period thriller Cliff Walkers is set to open theatrically in China and North America on April 30. It's the Chinese filmmaking legend's first attempt at the spy genre, taking place in the snowy, shadowy world of 1930s Manchukuo, the puppet state set up in northern China by pre-WWII imperial Japan. The film's international distributor, CMC Pictures, gave The Hollywood Reporter an exclusive look Tuesday at the first English-subtitled trailer. Cliff Walkers stars Zhang Yi (