THE Shenzhen-produced word-of-mouth hit “Dear You” will be screened in cinemas in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and China’s Hong Kong and Macao on June 18, to be followed by releases in other countries across Asia, Europe, and North America soon, the film’s production team has announced.

A low-budget film shot in the Chaoshan (Teochew) dialect, directed by Shenzhen-based director Lan Hongchun, starring first-time actors, and released without major commercial hype, “Dear You” has nonetheless exploded online through audience recommendations alone. It had grossed over 1.5 billion yuan (US$220 million) at the box office as of Thursday, making it the second highest-grossing Chinese film this year, only second to the Spring Festival hit “Pegasus 3.”

The film will also be shown in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., France, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. It had already debuted May 15 at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film will be screened overseas in the original Chaoshan dialect with both Chinese and English subtitles — or other language subtitles depending on the target market.

Shenzhen has built a low-budget film support system. The city has produced 86 national and international award-winning works in film, TV, music, and dance. (SD News)