New movie drama "Mumu" celebrates the deaf and hard-of-hearing community through a tearjerking and intimate portrayal of father-daughter love, shared struggles and resilience.

Cast and crew of "Mumu" pose for a photo at the movie's premiere in Beijing, April 2, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Directed by Sha Mo and starring pop icon-actor Lay Zhang alongside child actor Li Luoan, "Mumu" portrays the unbreakable bond between deaf father Xiao Ma (played by Zhang) and his hearing daughter Mumu (Li). The film follows the devoted father's quest to improve his daughter's life — a journey that tragically entangles him in a criminal scam.

The feature film, which debuted on April 3, expands on director Sha Mo's hit short film of the same name. During production, over 30 individuals with hearing impairments were invited to participate as cast members, many of them without prior acting experience, yet their authentic performances create profound emotional impact.

"I first engaged with this community after seeing news about deaf individuals and conducting field research," Sha said. "Then the opportunity to make a short film came along."

The director later believed those with hearing impairments deserved larger-scale representation to increase their visibility. During pre-production, Sha and screenwriter Fu Dandi interviewed numerous deaf individuals to document their experiences. "Because this community often live with informational barriers and beautiful simplicity," he noted, "they're particularly vulnerable to scams — a crucial element we incorporated into the story."

Behind this fictional narrative lies the harsh reality faced by China's 30 million individuals with hearing impairments. The director revealed how well-packaged schemes can easily mislead deaf people: "They might think they're just helping a friend, only to realize too late that they've been scammed."

Screenwriter Fu added insights from a law firm specializing in deaf clients: "Without interpreters, communication barriers often lead them to rush resolutions, unaware of the severe consequences. This creates wrongful cases that could have been prevented."

Director Sha credited his friend and fellow filmmaker Shen Ao for recommending Lay Zhang as the lead. Zhang had starred in Shen's scam-themed crime blockbuster "No More Bets," which earned 3.85 billion yuan in summer 2023. "I saw Zhang's films and was impressed," Sha said. "But when we met, he understood the role more profoundly than I did — that's when I knew he was the one I was looking for."

To authentically portray deaf character Xiao Ma, Lay Zhang immersed himself in silence — wearing earplugs during rehearsals to experience his character's soundless world. "The hardest part was hearing everything while acting like I couldn't," Zhang revealed. 

He dedicated two months to studying sign language, learning about deaf lived experiences and collaborating with sign language advisor Chi Yaoming. Their preparation included visiting deaf communities to interact directly with people there. On set, Zhang relied on cast members with hearing impairments as his sign language coaches, carefully studying their natural expressions.

At the premiere, Lay Zhang and his onscreen daughter shared a heartwarming exchange — the young actor rated Zhang's performance 100/100, while he gave her 120/100. "The extra 20 points represent my love for you," the pop icon explained.

"My love for Xiao Ma is like a kite's string," Li responded. "He holds one end tightly, and I clutch the other. If I let our kite fly away, my heart would break. But if we both keep holding on, nothing can separate us."

A poster for "Mumu." [Image courtesy of iQiyi Pictures]

Behind the scenes, the crew matched the dedication of cast with hearing impairments with thoughtful accommodations, such as using red and green light signals to mark filming sequences. They also created detailed accessibility guides featuring essential sign language phrases and communication strategies, ensuring seamless collaboration between hearing cast, cast with hearing impairments, and crew while nurturing an inclusive production environment.

After filming wrapped, Lay Zhang invited several of his friends with hearing impairments to his concerts and pledged to feature a sign language interpreter at every future show — marking a first among major Chinese artists.

At the end of the premiere, Zhang silently addressed the audience in sign language through an interpreter: "I hope more people will learn sign language, respect people with hearing impairments. We should come together to have fun and accomplish more and more things, together."