A low-budget independent drama that shocked the international film industry by dominating the Chinese box office has secured European theatrical distribution. Trinity CineAsia has acquired the comprehensive rights to release Dear You across the UK, Ireland, and France.
The film launched in China on 30 April 2026 and quickly transformed into a major cultural phenomenon. It has accumulated 1.667 billion RNB (approximately 246 million US dollars) to date, making it the second highest-grossing Chinese release of the year. The movie will open in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 26 June 2026, with the French release following shortly after.
From Small Budget to Global Standing
Directed and co-written by Lan Hongchun, Dear You achieved its commercial status through exceptional word-of-mouth recommendations rather than aggressive studio marketing campaigns. The project features a cast consisting mostly of non-professional actors from the Chaoshan region, filming primarily in the regional Teochew language.
The film currently holds a 9.2 out of 10 score on the prominent Chinese review aggregator platform Douban. This rating establishes the feature as one of the most critically acclaimed domestic releases of the past decade.
The production also features a special guest appearance by the veteran Thai actress Taew Usha Seamkhum. Seamkhum previously found widespread international success as the star of the 2024 blockbuster How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies. Her involvement in Dear You directly reflects her personal Teochew-Thai ancestral heritage, bridging the cultural link between the two regions.
A Multi Generational Mystery Across Borders
The story of Dear You draws direct inspiration from true historical accounts of the massive migration of Chinese communities to Southeast Asia during the twentieth century. The plot follows Grandma Shurou, an elderly woman living a quiet life in Chaoshan. Her world upends when her debt-ridden grandson, Xiaowei, secretly travels to Thailand in search of his wealthy grandfather, Musheng, who originally fled China during the war.
Xiaowei discovers that the grandfather died long ago. The revelation exposes a massive twist: the individual who had been replying to Grandma Shurou’s sentimental letters for decades was an absolute stranger. As the grandson investigates the identity of the mystery writer, he uncovers a complex misunderstanding that spans three separate generations, uniting two distant families across international borders.
Connecting Diaspora Communities to the Big Screen
Cedric Behrel, the managing director of Trinity CineAsia, described the acquisition as an opportunity to bring a unique piece of modern cinema to European film enthusiasts. Behrel noted that the project managed to move millions of viewers by focusing on fundamental human experiences.
The distributor negotiated the multi-territory deal with the international sales agencies Hugoeast and Damai Entertainment. Behrel stated that the team looks forward to presenting the historical drama to diverse cinema audiences, particularly the large Asian diaspora communities living in the UK and France who want to see their specific regional histories represented accurately on the big screen.
