Tuotuo's Summer

Creative Statement

"I" and my stepfather's own son make a pair of characters in sharp contrast. Through the experiences of these brothers, we hope to show the rifts within a blended family. When facing the rifts in life, one needs to stand up bravely like the protagonist; it is never too late to want to be a hero and save your own life.

Synopsis

Without consulting anyone, stepfather Wang Chang gives all the family's savings to his own son, Wang Ke, for his wedding, bringing Wang Tuotuo's blended family to the brink of breaking apart. Wang Tuotuo decides to find Wang Ke, the root of the conflict, and get the wedding money back, but ends up as the last witness to see Wang Ke's fiancée, Zhao Hanfang, run off with the money. Wang Tuotuo claims that his mother's pregnancy test belongs to Zhao Hanfang, and so lures Wang Ke into setting out with him to find her, discovering a world far beyond anything they knew. When the lie about the pregnancy test comes out, the brothers' relationship breaks down completely. But Wang Tuotuo bravely faces the difficulties and, together with Wang Ke, saves the family they share!

Genre:

Family, Comedy, Drama

Director:

Wang Zeyu

Screenwriter:

Liu Xinqiao

Producer:

Li Juan

Production Company:

Beijing Dale Media Co., Ltd.

About the Director

Wang Zeyu: master's degree from the Beijing Film Academy; among the top 20 of the 6th Chinese Young Film Directors Support Program, the Youth Film Program (Qingcong Project). Web series about the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea: Twelve Hours of the Lone Army. Short film about children: Warm Spring, winner of more than ten awards including the Jury Grand Prize at the 6th China-Europe Cultural Wave Awards and Best Actor at the China-Europe Light and Shadow Awards; among the top ten at the project market of the Falcon Program of the 15th Chinese Youth Film Week. Short film about the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression: The Resister, winner of more than 30 awards in China and abroad, including Best Feature in the student competition of the 26th Beijing College Student Film Festival, a Special Mention in the Montreal special section and first prize at the Cross-Strait College Student Film Festival of the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival. Republican-era mystery short: Breaking Gold, winner of more than ten awards including Best Director and Best Screenplay at the 13th Shanghai College Student TV Festival.

About the Screenwriter

Liu Xinqiao: master's degree in journalism and communication from Beijing Jiaotong University. From 2019 to 2021 she worked at the company as a film and television story editor. Screenwriting credit: the film Long Summer Days, a winning project at the Falcon Program project market of the 15th Chinese Youth Film Week (2020).

About the Producer

Li Juan: more than ten years of experience in the film and television industry, currently founder of Beijing Dale Media Co., Ltd. Production credits: the film Zhao Jian, selected for the industry screenings of the 16th FIRST International Film Festival; the web series Time Management Bureau. Marketing credits: the films The Taste of Rice Flower and Beyond, and the web series Love and Destiny, Secret Fruit and Once Upon a Time in LingJian Mountain, among others.

About the Production Company

Beijing Dale Media Co., Ltd.: a professional, experienced film and television production company focused on high-quality production and project development, with a team of seasoned industry professionals. The company also works in social marketing, supporting film and television works, talent management and brands, and offers integrated, end-to-end production and marketing services.

Logline

To save his blended family, 10-year-old Wang Tuotuo has to find his stepfather's son, Wang Ke, and get back an important sum of wedding money, but accidentally becomes the last witness to see Wang Ke's fiancée, Zhao Hanfang, run off with the money. He then lies to get Wang Ke on the road, and together they set off on a funny, warm journey to find Zhao Hanfang, in the end saving the family they share.