The cast of film "Ocean Heaven" attend a press conference in Beijing, May 5. [CRI]

Chinese martial arts star Jet Li attended a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday for his first non-action film.

The film, called "Ocean Heaven", is based on a real story, according to sohu.com.

It tells how a terminally ill man helps his autistic adolescent son fight the disease. Jet Li and rising mainland actor Wen Zhang play the father and son in the movie.

The cast of film "Ocean Heaven" attend a press conference in Beijing, May 5. [CRI]

The film will be Li's first non-action role in his 25 years as a movie actor. Li explained that he was attracted by the story, since it teaches people to give more care to those who are suffering from difficulties. He admitted that he himself had had experience in this field, after his nephew was diagnosed with autism several years ago. That incident made him realize how important it is to offer attention and care to those who are affected.

The film is directed by Xue Xiaolu, who previously wrote the script for Chen Kaige's award-winning film "Together".

It's set to hit the big screen in July.