The Sun Rises on Us All

Former lovers Baoshu and Meiyun have estranged after an accident. Seven years later, the man and woman meet again and are confronted with long-forgotten secrets from their past.^[2][3]

• Xin Zhilei as Meiyun
• Zhang Songwen as Baoshu
• Feng Shaofeng as Qifeng

From early 2020, Cai Shangjun began co-writing a movie script with his wife, Han Nianjin, under lockdown in China.^[4] While his previous works, People Mountain People Sea (2011) and The Conformist (2017), reflect social problems in contemporary China, Cai Shangjun shifted his focus to the lives of ordinary people, in an effort to address the complexity of emotional experiences.^[4][5] The Sun Rises on Us All explores moral dilemma through a story about sacrifice and redemption.^[1]

After finishing their first draft, in 2023, Cai began casting actors.^[4] Han recommended Xin Zhilei for the role of Meiyun.^[4] Cai watched a Chinese adaptation of Prima Facie starring Xin and was impressed by her acting.^[4] Seeing Xin on a reality show also made Cai appreciate her candid personality.^[4] Yang Chao, the director of Crosscurrent (2016) that starred Xin, shared Xin’s contact information with Cai.^[4] Xin read the script immediately after receiving it from Cai and was thrilled by the role of Meiyun.^[5] “I must play her,” Xin told Cai, “This is the character that I have always longed for.”^[5] Cai then cast Xin as Meiyun.

Cai set his film primarily in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong province in South China. Cai liked Guangzhou for its cultural diversity, commenting “Guangzhou was one of the first beneficiaries of China’s economic reform; its close proximity to Hong Kong also made Guangzhou subject to the influence of popular culture of Hong Kong.”^[6] Filming began on July 14, 2024. Aside from Guangzhou, filming also took place in Shaoguan and Dongguan, two other cities in Guangdong province.^[7] Shaoguan is the native city of Zhang Songwen, who plays Baoshu in the film. The production companies received film production incentives from the government of Guangdong province.^[7] The film was shot in a period of 50 days.^[4]

Cai worked with South Korean cinematographer Kim Hyun-seok, who previously shot Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry (2010).^[6]

The Sun Rises on Us All was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival,^[8] where it had its world premiere on 5 September 2025.^[1] It is Cai Shangjun's second invitation to the competition following his film People Mountain People Sea in 2011.

It was also screened at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, the 30th Busan International Film Festival,^[9] and the 9th Pingyao International Film Festival.^[10]

It was released in China on 7 November 2025.^[5]