In the Chaoyang dialect, the pronunciation of "Cannes" happens to be identical to that of "olive (gana)", a local specialty of the region. This linguistic coincidence seems to have become a hidden Easter egg embedded in the hometown accent for audiences of "Dear You", the recent Chaoshan-dialect film with strong word-of-mouth reputation and impressive box office performance. The film recently appeared at the 79th Cannes Film Festivalfor a market screening, drawing significant attention from international distributors.

What is even more remarkable is that the film's director Lan Hongchunand film master Cai Chusheng—whose 120th birth anniversary falls this year and who first represented Chinese cinema at Cannes 70 years ago—are both natives of Chaoyang in Shantou. Two generations of Chaoyang filmmakers completed a relay that transcends time and space at this world-renowned stage for cinematic art.

Since its release, "Dear You" has ranked among the year's most popular Chinese-language films. It has exceeded 10 million admissions, and its total box office is projected to steadily rise above 1.3 billion yuan, setting a new market high for Chaoshan-themed films.

Centered on qiaopi (overseas Chinese remittance letters)added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, "Dear You" focuses on the warm story of a Chaoshan grandmother's lifelong waiting. It meticulously reconstructs the hardships faced by Guangdong residents who journeyed to Nanyang (Southeast Asia) for work in modern times, as well as the patriotic feelings of overseas Chinese who wander abroad yet care deeply about their hometown and families.

Behind this screening lies a cinematic connectionspanning 70 years. In 1956, a Chinese film delegationled by Cai Chusheng and Situ Huiminattended a series of international cultural events, including the Cannes International Film Festival in France, International Filmmakers Conference, the International Theatre Festival, the 3rd Yugoslav National Film Festival, and the Venice Film Festival in Italy. It marked the first time that films from the People's Republic of China systematically entered the international stage as part of an official delegation.

Cai Chusheng was also a native of Chaoyang. In 1935, his film "Song of the Fishermen"won an award at the Moscow International Film Festival, becoming the first Chinese film in history to receive an international prize. In 1947, he co-directed "The Spring River Flows East" with Zheng Junli, a film that set a box office recordin China at the time and was hailed as a milestone in Chinese cinematic history. French film historians have included him among the 200 most influential film artists of the 20th century. He is the pride of Chaoyang and also a glory for Chinese cinema.

70 years later, Lan Hongchun arrived at Cannes with "Dear You". Though separated by 70 years and differing in subject matter and cinematic style, the two films by these Chaoyang directors both focus on ordinary people's lives.

Most intriguingly, there is the homophonic coincidence in the Chaoyang dialect: the word for "olive (gana)"—a specialty product of Chaoyang—is pronounced exactly the same as "Cannes". Olives repeatedly appear throughout the film, almost like a predestined symbol: 70 years ago, Cai Chusheng set out from here, and 70 years later, Lan Hongchun returned carrying the flavors and memories of his hometown.

Source：Pearl

《给阿嬷的情书》亮相戛纳！两代潮阳籍导演完成70年隔空接力

在潮阳方言中，“戛纳”与当地特产“橄榄”的发音相同，这一语言上的巧合仿佛是近期口碑与票房双丰收的潮汕方言电影《给阿嬷的情书》，为观众们留下的一个藏在乡音里的“彩蛋”——该片于近日亮相第79届戛纳电影节，并进行了市场放映，引发大量国际片商关注。

而更令人意想不到的是，这部电影的导演蓝鸿春和今年迎来诞辰120周年、70年前第一次代表中国电影走向戛纳的电影大师蔡楚生，均是汕头潮阳人。两代潮阳籍电影人在这座电影艺术殿堂，完成了一场跨越时空的接力。

《给阿嬷的情书》影片上映以来，成功跻身年度华语影片热门行列，观影人次突破千万大关，预测总票房将稳步攀升至13亿元以上，创下潮汕题材电影的市场新高度。

影片以世界记忆遗产“侨批”为叙事核心，聚焦潮汕阿嬷半生守望的温情故事，细腻还原了近代广东民众“下南洋”谋生的艰辛历程，以及海外华侨漂泊异乡却心系故土、牵挂家人的家国情怀。

而这场放映背后，藏着一段跨越70年的光影接力。1956年，由蔡楚生和司徒慧敏率领的中国电影代表团，出席法国戛纳国际电影节、国际电影创作者会议、国际戏剧节、南斯拉夫第三届民族电影节、意大利威尼斯影展等一系列活动。这是新中国电影第一次以正式代表团的身份，系统性地走向国际舞台。

据悉，蔡楚生也是潮阳人。1935年，他执导的《渔光曲》在莫斯科国际电影节上获奖，成为中国电影史上第一部获得国际奖项的影片。1947年，他与郑君里联合执导的《一江春水向东流》，创下当时中国电影票房的纪录，被誉为中国电影史上的里程碑之作。法国电影史学家把他列入“世界最知名200位电影艺术家”，这是潮阳的光，也是中国电影的光。

70年后，蓝鸿春带着《给阿嬷的情书》来了。两部电影，两代潮阳籍导演，隔了70年，题材不同、手法不同，可镜头都对准了普通人。

最妙的是个谐音梗：潮阳话里，“橄榄”——潮阳特产，和“戛纳”发音一模一样。电影里反复出现的橄榄，像极了冥冥之中的约定：70年前蔡楚生从这里出发，70年后蓝鸿春带着家乡的味道回来。

文、图 | 记者 赵映光 通讯员 潮阳宣
译 | 郑书悦
审 | 曾敏