Children's musical strikes a chord on the big screen

A choir of village girls is ready to strike a chord with moviegoers as Unbound Voices, a children's musical film about finding confidence through song, prepares to open in China on Oct 20.

The film marks the directorial debut of actor-turned-filmmaker Shao Bing and will be released through the People's Cinema Line, a cinema network focused on mainstream films.

Adapted from an award-winning literary work by novelist Xiao Qin, the film is set in a village in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Southwest China's Guizhou Province. It follows a primary school that forms a girls' choir, helping its young members overcome their shyness, discover their voices and gain the confidence to pursue their dreams.

To bring the setting to life authentically, Shao insisted on filming entirely on location. The film showcases the region's landscapes and cultural heritage, including terraced fields and traditional ethnic folk songs.