People enter a movie theater to attend the Los Angeles premiere of the film "Evil Unbound" in Los Angeles, the United States, Sept. 18, 2025. "Evil Unbound," a Chinese-produced film depicting the atrocities committed by the notorious Japanese germ warfare Unit 731 during World War II, held its Los Angeles premiere Thursday. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua)

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- "Evil Unbound," a Chinese-produced film depicting the atrocities committed by the notorious Japanese germ warfare Unit 731 during World War II, held its Los Angeles premiere Thursday.

Unit 731, a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, served as the nerve center for Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during WWII.

Historical records indicate that from 1940 to 1945, Unit 731 used at least 3,000 people in human experiments, and more than 300,000 people in China were killed by Japan's biological weapons.

The film, directed by Zhao Linshan, was released in North America by Well Go USA Entertainment. It is presented in Mandarin with English subtitles and is scheduled to be screened in more than 100 theaters across dozens of North American cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Boston of the United States, as well as Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver of Canada.

"The film is not only powerful, but also a deeply memorable historical reminder," said Doris Pfardrescher, CEO of Well Go USA Entertainment. "It brings to life a chapter of history that must never be forgotten, and we are proud to share this story with American audiences."

After the premiere on Thursday, a moviegoer who identified himself as Richard told Xinhua that watching "Evil Unbound" was "very hard, very emotional, very difficult."

Richard said the film reminded him of the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany in concentration camps and helped him understand the enormous suffering endured by the Chinese people due to Japanese aggression.

"The movie shows a lot of horrible things: experiments, torture and unnecessary deaths," Richard added. "I hope a lot of people will come and watch this movie to get a better sense of that part of history." ■

A spectator takes a photo of a poster of the film "Evil Unbound" at a movie theater in Los Angeles, the United States, Sept. 18, 2025. "Evil Unbound," a Chinese-produced film depicting the atrocities committed by the notorious Japanese germ warfare Unit 731 during World War II, held its Los Angeles premiere Thursday. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People watch the film "Evil Unbound" at a movie theater during its premiere in Los Angeles, the United States, Sept. 18, 2025. "Evil Unbound," a Chinese-produced film depicting the atrocities committed by the notorious Japanese germ warfare Unit 731 during World War II, held its Los Angeles premiere Thursday. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People watch the film "Evil Unbound" at a movie theater during its premiere in Los Angeles, the United States, Sept. 18, 2025. "Evil Unbound," a Chinese-produced film depicting the atrocities committed by the notorious Japanese germ warfare Unit 731 during World War II, held its Los Angeles premiere Thursday. (Xinhua/Gao Shan)