As The Odyssey approaches its August 14 theatrical release in Chinese cinemas, anticipation and questions surrounding the film are mounting on social media. Overseas, classical scholars and literary critics have also been examining the film, with much of their discussion focusing on how faithfully Christopher Nolan's adaptation reflects Homer's epic.

Set against this backdrop, a special screening and discussion focusing on The Odyssey was recently held in Beijing as part of A Handshake Across the Screen program, a film-themed initiative launched by China Film Group Imported Distribution.

The event brought together Huangfu Yichuan, editor-in-chief of a cinema-related magazine; Li Daoxin, professor at the School of Arts at Peking University; and Yang Ge, program planner at the China Film Archive. The three guests engaged in a discussion on themes of homecoming, cinema and civilization.

During the screening, audiences experienced Nolan's visual spectacle on a CINITY LED screen, from fierce battles at sea to encounters with the Cyclops in its cave.

Following the screening, audience members raised questions about the film's interpretation of fate and its approach to adapting classical literature. One viewer asked how people should interpret the film's suggestion that human destinies are predetermined.

Huangfu responded that audiences had accompanied Odysseus through his 10 years of wandering in the film, emphasizing that the experience was less about knowing the character's fate than about sharing his journey. "That sense of presence has little to do with the direction of his destiny, but rather with feeling and experience," he said, adding that this experience itself may be the meaning of cinema.

Since its launch in May 2026, A Handshake Across the Screen program has sought to use cinema as a bridge between audiences, creating experiences that go beyond simply watching films – from entering theaters to connecting with fellow viewers.