The lights dimmed at Marina Bay Sands Theatre on the evening of June 17. For the next two hours, more than 1,400 guests sat in near silence, captivated by a story about letters, waiting, and the long shadow of the past. By the time the credits rolled, many were wiping away tears.

The film is Dear You (《給阿嬤的情書》), a Teochew-dialect drama from China that has already become a surprise box-office phenomenon at home. Made on a budget of just 14 million yuan (about S$2.65 million), it has grossed over 1.7 billion yuan (about S$320 million) in China, earning it the title of a "dark horse" hit. Now, with its premiere in Singapore—a city-state where there are a big number of  Teochew and Hokkien immigrants—the film is reaching a new audience for whom the story resonates not just as history, but as family memory.

Source: South
Editor: Lyu Yun