Love, family, and sacrifice are often the pillars of life that uphold generations. When the story of how one man spans years of compromise with letters that cross oceans is told, it reveals the hardships of ordinary people in history. A special screening of the hit Chinese drama film, Dear You, brought its heartwarming and poignant story to SM Seaside City Cebu on August 12, creating an opportunity for the local Chinese community to reconnect with their roots, traditions, and collective past.

In a world moving at breathless speed and overloaded with superficial connections, tonight’s film invites us to slow down, to honor our roots, and reflect on the legacy left by those who came before us.

Vivien Go-Luzuriaga

ABCDI Board of Trustees

Organized by Asociacion Benevola de Cebu Inc. (ABCDI), the special screening invites local audiences to experience a story that resonates across generations. Directed and co-written by Lan Hongchun, Dear You is a film in the Teochew dialect that follows a grandson traveling to Thailand to find his estranged grandfather, uncovering decades-old secrets, letters, and a love story that fought the tidal waves of time.

The event gave the community a chance to sit together, connect over stories that mirrored their own lives, and enjoy an evening of quiet, reflective space for local Chinese-Filipino families to honor where they came from and celebrate the traditions that still tie them together.

Bringing generations together through a story that lingers

Though rooted in one family’s search for answers, Dear You speaks to a much larger story that invites audiences to see parts of their own stories on the screen.

Vivien Go-Luzuriaga, one of the board of trustees, expressed the organization’s desire to engage culture among the Chinese community with a heartfelt reminder of their predecessors’ journeys and struggles that continue to shape the community today.

“When the Asociacion decided to host a special screening of the film, ‘Dear You’, we had modest expectations. After all, the film is no Spider-Man. It has no famous actors, no big Hollywood budget, and is not even in Mandarin. It is spoken in a dialect mostly unfamiliar to those of us who speak Hokkien,” Go-Luzuriaga said.

Spanning time and borders, the film reflects the sacrifices of Chinese immigrants who left their homeland in search of better opportunities and a brighter future for their families. Go-Luzuriaga elaborated on the film’s efforts to faithfully portray Chinese heritage in its fullest and most authentic form: “To make this movie, the director, Lan Hongchun, spent years interviewing over 300 overseas Chinese families across the world, sifting through thousands of qiaopi—the historical letters that once served as a lifeline between overseas Chinese and the loved ones they left behind.”

Beyond reconnecting audiences and preserving history on screen, the event also creates an opportunity for the community to come together and support a meaningful cause, fostering an appreciation for film as an act of community and giving.

Uniting for a cause through the power of film

One of the core pillars of Asociacion Benevola de Cebu Inc. (ABCDI) is a shared commitment to preserving Chinese cultural heritage, which drives the initiative. Since films that showcase the overseas Chinese journey are rare today, bringing ‘Dear You’ to Cebu audiences offered a shared space to connect with the experiences and values woven into the Chinese-Filipino community.

To make the screening accessible to everyone, ABCDI offered the tickets for free as a gift to the community, personally pooling their own funds to cover the expenses while ensuring that any remaining funds will proceed directly to support the newly established Benevola de Cebu Foundation Inc., (BDCFI).

Though the foundation is still in its early stages, it is already active in extending care through various and indigent programs, turning a night at the cinema into a lasting community of support.

Every story is a bridge to where we came from. Watch ‘Dear You’ exclusively at SM Cinemas and take a look into the overseas Chinese heritage and the timeless bonds of family and benevolent service that continue to shape the community today.