About the Director

Director Charles Hu (Hu Zhaoxiang, 1997) is a writer-director from Henan and a graduate of the Communication University of Zhejiang. His work probes solitude, spiritual drift, and contemporary exile. His short River Straying (2019) screened at the Beijing International Short Film Festival and HiShorts! among others. His debut feature As the River Goes By (2024), shot in his hometown, won the Best WIP Award at the 2024 SIFF Project and was supported by the FIRST Financing Forum and the Asian Cinema Fund.

Director's Statement

Filmed in my hometown, this work explores how we confront the weight of regret and the lingering echoes of the past. As the title suggests, time flows endlessly like a river—never pausing for anyone. I wanted to capture the inner world of today’s youth, their quiet struggles and fragile hopes. The film is deeply infused with my own memories and emotions—a poignant coming-of-age story steeped in heartache. As we drift along the river of time, each of us must learn to make peace with the ghosts of our past, no matter how much they ache within us.