Seasoned Actor Dong Zijian Talks Directorial Debut ‘My Friend An Delie’ And The Importance Of Trusting His Instincts

deadline.com:

Based on the novel by Shuang Xuetao, My Friend An Delie marks seasoned actor Dong Zijian‘s directorial debut. Dong has starred in Jia Zhangke’s Mountains May Depart and Ash Is The Purest White, as well as Han Han’s Duckweed, among others.

Dong tells Deadline that he spent nearly six years developing My Friend An Delie, which tells the story of Limo (played by Liu Haoran) who travels back to his hometown in northeastern China after his father’s death.

While on a flight, he spots his childhood friend An Delie (played by Dong himself) on the plane, but An does not recognize him.

Their flight is diverted due to severe weather and the duo go on a journey that brings back long-forgotten memories and pushes Limo to confront the demons of his past. “I was very moved by the depiction of youth in the novel and also felt a strong sense of yearning and nostalgia about my own childhood,” says Dong. “The novel did not share much about the future of these two characters but I’ve always wondered how they would turn out.” The film will screen at the Red Sea Film Festival from December 11.