The first batch of photo stills for Zhang Yimou's new film, "The Love of the Hawthorn Tree", has been released to shed some light on the two leading actors, the Beijing Star Daily reports.

Actress Zhou Dongyu as Jing Qiu and Dou Xiao as Lao San in Zhang Yimou's new film, "The Love of the Hawthorn Tree" [CRI]

The movie is adapted from a popular novel of the same name, which tells a story set around 1975 in a small village in Yichang City, Hubei Province. It depicts the pure love between a beautiful but self-contemptuous city girl named Jing Qiu and the handsome and ingenious young man Lao San.

Zhou Dongyu, who plays Jing Qiu, and Dou Xiao, who plays Lao San, are still students and have never performed in a film or TV drama before. Zhou was still a high school student when she was picked for the role. Dou now studies acting at the Beijing Film Academy.

The tear-jerking film is slated for release on September 16.