One Child, starring Katie Leung will air as a two-night event on December 5th and 6th at 9 PM ET/PT. Part One introduces Mei Ashley (Leung), a college student, adopted as a baby from China who has had a content upbringing as the daughter of professors. When she’s contacted by her birth mother in China, a journey to discover her identity turns into a dangerous fight for justice. Part Two follows Mei’s journey as she is thrown into extreme danger in her attempt to save her brother from an unjust criminal sentence. Just when things are starting to look positive, Mei encounters setback that is almost more than she can bear. A full press release, sent to us by Sundance, may be read below:
SundanceTV has the world premiere of its newest original mini-series “One Child” on December 5th and 6th at 9 PM ET/PT. The four-hour series stars Katie Leung (Harry Potter), features Emmy® nominated actress Elizabeth Perkins (“Weeds”) and Donald Sumpter (“Game of Thrones,” The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and airs as a two-night special event.
“One Child” tells the story of a young Chinese-born woman, Mei (Leung), adopted at birth by a couple in the UK, who suddenly gets called back to her native Guangzhou by her birth mother. Her son Ajun – and the brother Mei never knew existed – has been wrongly accused of murder and is facing execution. The real killer is a rich Chinese ‘princeling’ with a well-connected, wealthy father who has corrupted the witnesses into lying.
Perkins and Sumpter play Katherine – an American – and Jim Ashley, Mei’s adoptive parents who are challenged to both let her visit her birth mother while protecting her from the pain of meeting the woman who once rejected her. Mei must struggle with who she is in order to decide where her loyalty lies.
When Mei lands in China and begins to witness the criminal justice system through western eyes, she discovers the dichotomy between rich and poor – the connected and the unconnected – and the corruption which forms the bedrock of its governing institutions.
Penned by Guy Hibbert (Eye in the Sky, Five Minutes of Heaven) this emotionally-gripping, dramatic thriller plunges into the heart of contemporary China – in all its contradictions – and takes a fresh, cross-cultural look at what it means to be family.
‘One Child’ is a deeply affecting work that delves into the heart of a human struggle. It tells the story of an ordinary young woman who is plunged into a situation that challenges her to her core,” said SundanceTV President, Sarah Barnett. “It takes viewers on an immersive journey across the globe and shines a bold spotlight on the complexity of family dynamics and personal identity.”
“One Child” is executive produced by Hilary Salmon for BBC Productions. The project is a BBC Drama production for BBC Two, co-produced with SundanceTV (deal brokered by Drive in conjunction with BBC Worldwide North America), and distributed by BBC Worldwide.
This project follows the summer’s critical success for “The Honorable Woman” starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, also a SundanceTV/BBC co-production. Previous to that “Top of the Lake” received two Golden Globe® nominations and one win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series for Elisabeth Moss; eight Emmy nominations including one win; and two SAG nominations. It was also a SundanceTV and BBC co-production.
