This film started with a memory—of alleys, both familiar and far away. A Small Alley Dreams of Us is a personal attempt to piece together an ideal alley that doesn’t exist in any one place, but lives in the in-between space of childhood, family, and imagination.

I filmed in the countryside of Yucatán, Mexico, and in my hometown Huainan, a sleepy industrial town in China, using 16mm footage to create a shared visual language across space and time. Along the way, the film began to take shape on its own. I met strangers who quickly became part of the story—kids who took me to their secret places, families who invited me in for dinner. These moments weren’t planned, but they became essential to the feeling of the film.

I intentionally blurred the spatial and temporal boundaries, layering sound and image from both places to create an alley that dreams—not just of where I’ve been, but of the people and emotions tied to those paths. This film is a collage of encounters, memories, and quiet moments that shaped me today.