The New York Asian Film Festival’s landmark 25th edition will close with the North American premiere of director Lan Hongchun’s new movie, Dear You. The film will be co-presented by Well Go USA Entertainment for the film’s screening on Sunday, July 26 at 8:30 PM at the SVA Theatre, ahead of the film’s North American theatrical release this September.
Influenced by the work of director Hou Hsiao-hsien, Dear You follows a young man who travels to Thailand in search of his long lost grandfather, only to uncover a family secret buried for decades. Dear You is described as a small family drama spoken in the Chaoshan dialect, known across much of Southeast Asia as Teochew, and built around qiaopi, or the letters sent home by overseas Chinese families that connected loved ones across generations.
The cast is led almost entirely by first time actors, including Li Sitong, Wang Yantong, Wu Shaoqing, Zheng Runqi, Wang Xiaohui, and Thai actress Usha Seamkhum. Director Lan will be on hand with members of the cast to attend the Closing Night screening.
Made without big stars or blockbuster aspirations, the film has become one of China’s biggest word of mouth hits of the year, earning more than 1.8 billion RMB (US$265 million) at the box office and turning newcomers Li Sitong and Wang Yantong into this year’s most memorable on-screen discoveries in China.
“I’m incredibly honored that Dear You has been chosen as the Closing Night Film,” said Lan who added, “the film was born from hundreds of heartfelt stories of overseas Chaoshan elders I gathered while filming my documentary overseas; their quiet longing for family and home land became the soul of this film. I’m grateful to the festival for giving this story a platform to reach more viewers”
The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is presented with major support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY), The Ministry of Culture of Thailand and the Department of Cultural Promotion, Fundstrat Global Advisors, BitMine, award-winning airline Cathay Pacific, Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York, Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), and Korean Film Council (KOFIC), whose partnership amplifies Asian cinema’s most vital voices.
