Chinese film 'Dear You' to be dubbed in Mandarin for S'pore audience, tickets for Teochew version sold out

Chinese indie film "Dear You", which was mainly filmed in the Teochew dialect, will be dubbed in Mandarin for its general release in Singapore.

Responding to Mothership's queries, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) spokesperson said, "IMDA has classified the film 'Dear You' for theatrical release in Singapore."

"The general public will be able to watch the Mandarin-dubbed version of the film which will be screened commercially."

"The Teochew version will be screened at the premiere. It will also be available for subsequent festival/niche screenings," the spokesperson added.

The dubbing is in line with IMDA's current approach, where full-dialect films can be screened at festivals or niche events to provide access to those who wish to view the film in its original language.

"This continues to support the bilingual policy which aims to promote Mandarin as the main language amongst Chinese Singaporeans.”

Dialect content is only allowed on a case-by-case basis

According to The Straits Times (ST), films that feature dialect content are allowed only on a case-by-case basis.

Golden Village and Singapore distributor Clover Films had previously announced on Facebook that there were limited screenings of the film in the original Teochew version at VivoCity from Jun. 18 to 21.

The tickets for the eight Teochew screenings are now fully sold out.

ST said that all 4,800 tickets were sold out within two hours of the launch on Jun. 16.

The film is set to release in cinemas on Jun. 18, and IMDA's response comes before its release, quelling netizens' speculation about the film's release language.

Film dominated China's box office

The movie has grossed 1.6 billion yuan (S$303.5 million) in China, according to ST.

This was despite the film's modest budget of 14 million yuan (S$2.66 million) and largely unknown cast, according to the Global Times.

According to IMDb, the film follows Xiaowei, who travels to Thailand to find his "billionaire grandfather," who has been out of contact due to debt problems, but unexpectedly discovers that the one who has been corresponding with his grandmother for years is not her husband.

The movie, which shot most of its dialogue in Teochew, is director Lan Hong Chun's third such feature film.

Lan and his team interviewed more than 120 seniors in the Chaoshan region who migrated to Southeast Asia to ensure the movie was historically accurate, ST reported.

Dialect restrictions date back to 1979

The Speak Mandarin Campaign, which was introduced in 1979, coincided with restrictions on the use of dialects.

Mandarin was designated as the common language among Chinese Singaporeans, and the campaign restricted the use of Chinese dialects in film, television, and radio.

According to ST, the usage of Chinese dialects subsequently dropped from 76 per cent in 1980 to 8.7 per cent in 2020.