Finding a clever indie romance that captures the rhythm of nighttime city streets is always a treat for movie buffs. Screenwriter Zhao Badao steps behind the camera for his feature directorial debut with Crossing a Dawn, an introspective romance nominated for Best Film at the Beijing International Film Festival.
Distributors have set the release for digital and video-on-demand storefronts on 23 October 2026.
The setup draws inspiration from conversation-driven cinema classics like Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, using modern Beijing after hours as its primary backdrop.
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The story kicks off inside an everyday supermarket when Xu Qiu, played by Golden Horse Award winner Sandra Ma, crosses paths with Yu Zhou, portrayed by Edward Chen. Their unexpected grocery store encounter leads to an unplanned late-night wander across the capital.
As the hours tick away before sunrise, small misadventures and candid conversations chip away at their initial reserve, pushing both strangers to lay bare their views on modern romance and personal ambition.
A Modern Take on Midnight Wandering
The production leans into metatextual storytelling techniques, blending visual misdirection with honest millennial relationship dynamics.
Zhao wrote and directed the project, putting together an ensemble that features Chen Haosen, Zhang Yifan, and Song Yang alongside leads Ma and Chen.
Fans of international cinema and midnight walk-and-talk indies can queue up Crossing a Dawn across major home digital storefronts starting 23 October 2026.
