Photos: CROSSING A DAWN to Premiere on VOD and Digital Platforms
Zhao Badao's feature directorial debut stars Sandra Ma and Edward Chen in a rom-com inspired by BEFORE SUNRISE.
CROSSING A DAWN, the feature directorial debut of screenwriter Zhao Badao, will premiere via VOD and leading digital platforms on October 23, 2026. The film was a Best Film nominee at the Beijing International Film Festival.
After a wryly ironic meet-cute in a supermarket, attractive and capricious Xu Qiu (Sandra Ma) spends an unexpected night on the town with handsome and seemingly naïve Yu Zhou (Edward Chen). The ensuing odyssey of urban misadventures allows them to let down their guard, revealing sundry truths about their views on life, love, and each other.
Experienced screenwriter Zhao Badao makes his feature directorial debut with CROSSING A DAWN, a charming and introspective rom-com – nominated for Best Film at the Beijing International Film Festival -- whose clever script astutely reflects the Chinese millennial psyche. Riffing on Before Sunrise but set across a bewitching night in Beijing, a nuanced character in its own right, it melds ingenious metatextuality, cinematic sleight of hand and emotional honesty into a film as lively and delightful as the euphoria of sudden infatuation.
CROSSING A DAWN (2026)
Written & Directed by: Zhao Badou
Cast: Sandra Me, Edward Chen, Chen Haosen, Zhang Yifan, Song Yang
Produced by: Jun Wan, Li Zeng
Genre: World Cinema/Drama/Comedy
RT: 103 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Stereo 5.1
Language: Mandarin with English Subtitles
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