You Director’s Back to Love Set for Singapore Cinema Debut as Next Teochew Film

SINGAPORE, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026 —

SINGAPORE — The Chinese family comedy Back To Love, directed by Lan Hongchun, is set to receive a wide cinema release in Singapore starting October 1, marking the second major Teochew-language film from the director to be distributed locally following the recent success of his 2026 hit Dear You.

The release of Back To Love follows the immense popularity of Dear You, which opened in Singapore in June and was classified as a Teochew film due to its 90 per cent Teochew dialogue, supplemented by Mandarin and Thai.

Lim Teck, managing director of Clover Films, the distributor for Dear You in Singapore, stated that he researched Lan’s earlier work after the recent film’s success and identified Back To Love as a suitable follow-up for local audiences. Lim noted that the new release is "more funny and less emotional than Dear You," featuring "plenty of fish-out-of-water jokes" as the Mandarin-speaking girlfriend struggles to understand references in the protagonist’s hometown.

Back To Love centers on a young man from Shantou, played by Zheng Runqi, who brings his Hangzhou girlfriend, played by Lu Shan, home to meet his mother, portrayed by Zhong Shaoxian. The plot revolves around the complications arising when the girlfriend, who was previously married, attempts to gain acceptance from the sharp-tongued older woman.

The film features familiar faces for fans of Dear You, as Zheng had a supporting role in the 2026 film as the grandson of the female protagonist Iap Sogriu, played by Wu Shaoqing, while Zhong appeared as a matchmaker. Lim indicated that these returning actors, combined with Lan’s established following in Singapore, would help connect the film with local viewers who are now familiar with the director’s style.

The screening of Back To Love is significant in the context of recent regulatory changes in Singapore regarding Chinese dialect content in media. At the National Day Rally on August 23, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that Singapore would ease restrictions on Chinese dialects for movies and pay television.

The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) confirmed that it would allow greater flexibility in the screening of films with dialect content to provide audiences with more viewing choices.

These updated dialect guidelines took effect in September, allowing films in full dialect or with majority dialect content to be screened in cinemas without limits to the number of screenings, provided that Mandarin subtitles are shown and a Mandarin-dubbed version of the same film is also made available.

Although the new guidelines do not directly apply to Back To Love due to its specific classification as a partial dialect film, the regulatory shift has broader implications for the local film market. Lim was informed of the film’s classification on September 14, which resulted in its approval for screening in Singapore without restrictions. Consequently, there is no requirement to release a fully Mandarin-dubbed version before the original version can be screened.

This streamlined process contrasts with previous requirements that often necessitated dubbed versions for wider distribution, potentially delaying or limiting the availability of dialect-heavy content.

Lim stated that the relaxation of the cap on dialect screenings has signaled that more dialect films can be screened in Singapore. He expressed that this regulatory environment has given the distributor "more confidence in bringing in overseas films and working on local films that are mostly shot in dialect," knowing that there is now more space to show them in their original dialect.

The distributor emphasized that the primary goal is to give Singapore audiences more choice, reflecting a broader trend of increasing access to culturally specific content in the region.

The timing of the release coincides with a period of heightened interest in Teochew-language cinema in Singapore, driven by the commercial success of Dear You. The film’s classification as a partial dialect film allows it to bypass the stricter requirements applied to full dialect films, such as the mandatory availability of a Mandarin-dubbed version prior to screening.

This regulatory distinction facilitates a faster and more direct path to market for films with mixed language content, potentially encouraging further investment in the production and distribution of similar titles.

Back To Love opens in Singapore cinemas on October 1. The release is expected to capitalize on the existing audience base built by Dear You, with Lim noting that local audiences are now familiar with Lan’s style. The film’s focus on family dynamics and cultural misunderstandings, combined with the presence of returning cast members, positions it as a direct sequel in terms of audience engagement, even if not in narrative continuity.

The successful integration of these films into the Singaporean market shows the growing viability of dialect cinema as a commercial and cultural force in the region.