Poster of upcoming filmThe Ark of Mr. Chow. Photo provided to China Daily

The special class for gifted youth usually recruits teenagers who are focused on scientific fields and tends to select far more boys than girls.

"I was very impressed that every girl in my class had a good-looking and smart boyfriend," Xiao recalled.

"For us, university is a heaven for girls, but a battlefield for boys.

"It will be an unlikely puberty-themed movie, but it records the memories of a special group of talents," he said.

The feature-length movie, produced by Taiwan veteran filmmaker Chen Kuo-fu, gets a thumb-up from insiders.

Feng Xiaogang, one of the most successfully commercial directors in China, likens the production to Jiang Wen's film debut In the Heart of the Sun.

"The Ark of Mr. Chow, based on a real life story, will impress moviegoers with its in-depth reflection of the Chinese college education system," Feng said. "Sometimes I do envy these young directors. They are still sharp. They want to say something in their productions, but not just become a money-making machine."

Starring veteran actor Sun Honglei and emerging actress Zhou Dongyu, the movie will be released on June 19.