The acclaimed Chinese film "Dear You" is slated to hit cinemas worldwide on June 18, the production announced on Friday at the opening ceremony of the fifth Hong Kong Chiu Chow Festival, a multi-day cultural and culinary event in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Since its mainland release on April 30, the Chaoshan (Teochew)-dialect film has struck a deep chord with audiences via its tender emotional portrayal and heartfelt core storyline, grossing over 1.6 billion yuan (about 236.5 million U.S. dollars) at the box office as of Sunday.
The film, featuring a largely unknown cast, centers on the tradition of "qiaopi," letters and remittances sent home by earlier generations of overseas Chinese in the 19th and 20th centuries, which serves as the emotional thread linking the film's central characters.
At the five-day Hong Kong Chiu Chow Festival, actors of the film "Dear You" interacted with fans and shared their experience during film making.
"The hardest part of making the film was definitely the scene where I had to bite into sugarcane. The director was very meticulous and serious about every single shot. He wanted everything to be good enough, so I probably ended up biting into around 20 sugarcane stalks," said Chen Qinqin, one of the main actors in the film.
According to the sponsors of this year's Hong Kong Chiu Chow Festival, the film will be released in Hong Kong on June 12. Then on June 18, it will hit cinemas in Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei all at the same time, with more countries and regions to follow.
"I came across this movie on my phone. Its box office performs well, and lots of people are watching it. So I think I'll go see it when it's released in Hong Kong," said a Hong Kong resident.
China's word-of-mouth hit film 'Dear You' set for global release
