The Tide's Promise / 潮信灯篙
Directed by Jiayu Wang (王佳钰)
China · 2026 · 7 min 56 sec · Narrative drama / AI-generated short
Submitted to RTV International Film Festival 2026Synopsis
Two brothers separated across the Taiwan Strait carry the hope of reunion through the Wangchuan boat-sending ritual, whose original purpose is to welcome wandering souls home. A lantern pole, a ritual boat and a cat's-eye marble connect their lives across time. Southern Min nursery rhymes and the lighting of the ritual fire weave the two timelines together, turning an inherited custom into a vessel for family memory and loss. Created with AI-generated imagery and human creative direction, the film uses warm yellow, Nanyang green and blue-toned night fire to distinguish its changing emotional worlds.
Director(s)
Jiayu Wang is a Chinese filmmaker working with Chongerdong Studio. She is the director and first credited creator of The Tide's Promise, made with co-creators He Zhu and Zihan Ye. The film brings together AI-generated imagery, Southern Min dialogue and the Wangchuan boat-sending tradition to explore separation, family memory and the hope of returning home.
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RTV International Film Festival — Inaugural Online Edition · 2026