"Song of the Phoenix" poster. [Photo: mtime.com]

Late Chinese filmmaker Wu Tianming's last directorial work "Song of the Phoenix" is going to hit cinemas today.

The screening comes two years after Wu's death in 2014.

The film revolves around an elderly suona, or double-reed horn performer who tries to pass on the art form despite its falling popularity in modern China.

Wu died of a heart attack in Beijing two years ago, just one month after he finished the film.

He was 74.

Wu was one of the most influential and significant figures in Chinese cinema. He also earned respect from fellow filmmakers overseas.

"Mr. Wu was a remarkable and courageous man. He deserves to be not only remembered, but celebrated, as an artist, as a producer and a studio chief, " American director Martin Scorsese said in a video message.

The former head of the Xi'an Film Studio was instrumental in encouraging directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige after he took the position in 1983.

His studio reforms helped young filmmakers of that time to flourish and thrive.

Wu's top films include the award-winning "Old Well" and "The King of Masks".

Several previews of "Song of the Phoenix" have been held in Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai.

The film has received acclaim from both viewers and critics.

However, there are concerns that the film may not be able to share a large number of screens due to its powerful rival "Captain America: Civil War" which opens in China at the same day.