"A gripping chronicle of the breakdown of the so-called Chinese Dream." – Hollywood Reporter

Celebrated documentarian Du Haibin (1428, MIFF 2009) follows a Chinese teenager's journey from flag-waving, fatigue-wearing Maoist into young adulthood, and his fight to reconcile modern China with his fervent love of the communist ideal.

Zhao Chantong is typical of the post-Tiananmen Square generation of Chinese youth: a mix of fierce idealism, patriotic fervour and unwavering loyalty to the Communist Party. As he graduates from his teens into young adulthood, Chantong grapples with profound emotional challenges and ideological disillusionment amid the ever-changing economic and political climate of modern China.

Notable for its stunning cinematography, and edited by MIFF 2011 guest Mary Stephen, A Young Patriot goes beyond simple vérité into a frank artistic study of ideological existentialism.

"Du Haibin has delivered a frank and intimate picture of Chinese youth." – Screen Daily