One Way

Across the ocean, in Japan, a group of young Chinese overseas students are struggling to get into their desired universities. They come from different backgrounds and are in different situations, but they are all firmly in their chosen way.

Ming is an overseas Chinese student in Japan, he came to Japan to try to enter university through another examination. There are many others in a similar situation to him, but not everyone can be so well-off.

One Way is a documentary film featuring Chinese students in Japan who chose to go to Japan after failing the university entrance exam. Contrary to what most people think, studying abroad is not only a gateway to a higher level of education, but also a way for some people to find one new way and start afresh. For a variety of reasons, they did not achieve satisfactory results in the university entrance examinations in their home country, and due to a number of cultural and other factors they looked across the ocean to Japan. But after landing in Japan with hopes, they found the process before arriving at the school gates a bit tedious. Before applying to an undergraduate school, most international students are required to take remedial courses at a language school, covering not only the language but also the subjects required for the Japanese entrance examinations. An unforeseen hurdle hinders international students from studying and living, and soon they are divided between those who enter the easier universities and those who choose to stay at the language school and wait for the next year's exams.

  • Hao Sun
    Director
  • Hao Sun
    Writer
  • Yoh Ye Zhou
    Producer
  • Zhuoming Xie
    Key Cast
  • Hao Sun
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 54 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 25, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 CNY
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, in APS-C
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - HKBU
Director Biography - Hao Sun

Hunter Sun is a cinematographer, sound designer and filmmaker born and based in Guangzhou. His style tends to seek out and express the inner activities of people in urban environments, while documenting the differences in the way people live and relate to each other in different environments, the relationship between people and cities is his issue.

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Director Statement

It is a story about my friend, an overseas Chinese student pursuing university in Japan, and also my undergraduate graduation work. The production is obviously very naive, even crude when viewed through today's eyes, as we had no experience of overseas filming at the time, as well as a lack of crew (there were only two of us) and the necessary equipment, and a tight schedule. But it was clear that the film meant so much to me that I chose to make a production page for it to commemorate the production. Thank you for your patience in seeing it here.