On August 13, 2022, the first day for events & activities of the 12th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF), In Search of Lost Time, the opening film and one of the finalists in the Competition section of the Tiantan Award, had a world premiere at Beijing Wanda Cinema. The cast & crew members of the film, including presenter and chief producer Yu Dong, producer Bai Jie, director Derek Yee, executive producer Peggy Lee, as well as actors such as Chen Baoguo, Ma Su, Luo Yichun, Cao Jun, and Zhang Ming’en, were on hand to exchange ideas, in a pre-screening meeting, with the first group of audience who enjoyed the excellent film at the cinema.

　　The fact that the audience in Beijing Wanda Cinema was waiting early to have tickets checked before the screening of In Search of Lost Time on the first day of this year’s BJIFF proved the audience’s expectation for the film and enthusiasm to participate in the BJIFF.

　　

　　Prior to the pre-screening meeting, speaking of the shooting process of the film, Derek Yee mentioned the extremely high shooting difficulty and the painstaking of all cast & crew members, and especially thanked all the actors for their great performances. “The relationship between any of my films and I will come to a close at the end of the shooting. And from the beginning of their release, the connection of them with the audience kicks off. I hope young audiences have interest in learning about the history of our country 60 years ago, because many stories and segments cannot be fully presented in the film.” Director Yee hopes that the play can stir the audience for the natural goodness of humanity, because film that affirms the truth of the dream of the audience can make them find hope in a way of entertainment.

　　Producer Bai Jie introduced the background of the film story. In Search of Lost Time is based on the actual historical event of “three thousand orphans flocking to Inner Mongolia”, which promotes the truth, goodness and beauty. When talking about the presentation of the grassland scenery in the film, he said that the beauty of the grassland lies in, seemingly its natural scenery, more of the mutual help and encouragement of people living on the grassland, as well as the truth of “blood thicker than water" and looking out for each other. He also thanked the presenter and chief producer Yu Dong for his robust support of the film, enabling the audience to see the beauty of the grasslands and the boundless love.

　　

　　Mr. Yu Dong recommended the film from the origin of its creation. As a subject that had been cited many times, it required sufficient reason and preparation to make the event of “3,000 orphans flocking to Inner Mongolia” into a movie again. It is precisely because of the accurate capture of emotions and excellent handling of the background of the times that In Search of Lost Time finally enables true sentiments to be revealed on every frame. And at the same time, director Yee’s expertise in shooting children is the icing on the cake. “This is an unforgettable memory of the country and an episode of fabulous anecdotes. I hope the audience can enjoy this film.”

　　

　　The actors of In Search of Lost Time present also shared their insights. Chen Baoguo believes that it is a film full of true sentiments, and only with sincerity and earnestness in acting can they look natural in the eyes of the audience. Ma Su, who speaks the Mongolian language throughout the film in order to be more acting-driven, praised the crew’s dedication and professionalism, and mentioned the energy and dedication of the director for the actors’ performance, “The director arranged for the actors to experience the life of the herdsmen in advance and lived with them in order to reproduce the living environment at that time. We hope to truly portray what the ethnic people are. The grassland is our mother and she raises the country’s children.”

　　Luo Yichun shared an interesting episode about learning horse riding specially for the film, and thanked director Yee for the opportunity and recognition given to her. Cao Jun also thanked the director and the entire cast and crew, saying that it was a very happy filming experience. He hopes people can go to the cinema and enjoy this honestly-made work. Zhang Ming’en regretted that he did not go to Inner Mongolia, but he could still feel the beauty of the grassland from the stills, trailer, and footages of the film.

　　At the end of the meeting, presenter and chief producer Yu Dong officially announced that the film will be scheduled for the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 9, 2022, and welcomes people to the cinema on the day of a family reunion to feel this great love across the sea and mountains!