When a 13-year-old boy in rural central China receives a letter from his absent mother, he sets off alone in search of her. Leaving his sister and grandfather behind, the boy follows the changing landscapes of the Yellow River. Alone and destitute, the boy finds work at a coalmine to survive. He soon runs away from the harsh environment, only to join a group of young thieves in an opium den. On his travels, the struggling boy glimpses occasionally a better world and manages to find beauty and hope despite the many harsh realities of his life.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and emerging. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
