Filming is underway for director Peter Chan Ho-sun's latest movie offering, "Dear Children".

The project, which began production on April 4, probes deep into the darkest alleys of Chinese society where children are victimized by human trafficking syndicates.

These syndicates kidnap children and either sell them to adoptive parents, or utilize them for criminal activities and forced labor.

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The social problem has long plagued China, and although the government has vowed to stamp out child trafficking, local police forces are often ill-equipped to solve the cases.

In the upcoming movie by the renowned Hong Kong director, a group of parents set out on their own to find their missing children, a stark commentary to a real-life situation where police often turn a blind eye to parents' complaints out of sheer indifference to their plight.

The 12 million dollar movie is penned by screenwriter Zhang Ji and top bills actors Zhao Wei, Huang Bo and Tong Dawei.

"Dear Children", in Chinese, is the working title of the film which has no final English title yet.

Chan's first attempt at contemporary drama on a mainland theme took form in his previous film "American Dreams in China", where he documented the life of three poor but idealistic students who witnessed the country's transformation from the 80s to the 21st century, as they set out to pursue their own dreams.

The film has already earned US$95 million in box office sales and is set to debut on Chinese big screens on April 16.