HAF unveils record line-up of 32 projects

The 10^th HAF includes one project from New York’s Independent Filmmaker Project, You’re A Big Girl Now, and two projects from Copenhagen’s DOX:LAB – Love: 1984 and Hangman.

Love: 1984  is a co-production between Japan, Czech Republic and Slovakia, while Hangman is a Thai project to be produced by Bangkok-based Extra Virgin.

Although HAF has not previously included documentaries, this year’s selection features a total of six non-fiction works. These also include Malaysian filmmaker Dain Said’s (Un)Making The Betrayal, which explores the collaboration between cinema and totalitarian regimes.

The expanded HAF line-up also includes a project from veteran Icelandic filmmaker Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, who is bringing his latest story Lost In Poetry to the co-production and financing market.

Other established filmmakers in the line-up include China’s Gu Changwei, who won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival with his debut feature Peacock; Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chui Mui, whose Imperial Exam will be produced by China’s Jia Zhangke; and Ruby Yang, who won best documentary (short subject) with The Blood Of Yingzhou District at the 2007 Academy Awards.

Roger Garcia, executive director of HAF organiser, the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, said: “We are delighted by the eclectic selection and the considerable increase in submissions this year. These are encouraging signs of the HAF’s growing popularity and its importance to filmmakers in the region.

“We highly value our partnership with other project markets including Copenhagen’s DOX:LAB, New York’s Independent Filmmaker Project and Paris Project from France, which has effectively expanded our international networks and in turn enriched the range of filmmakers we aim to support.”

The 10th HAF Project List

1. 1982 (Lebanon)

Director: Oualid MOUANESS

Producer: Feyrouz SERHAL

Production Companies: Roummana, Tricycle Logic

2. Afternoon Delight! (Taiwan)

Director: Arvin CHEN

Producers: LEE In-Ah, LEE Lieh

Production Company: One Production Film Company

3. Ali’s Wedding (Australia)

Director: Tony AYRES

Producers: Michael MCMAHON, Helen PANCKHURST

Production Company: Matchbox Pictures Pty Ltd.

4. Another Country (South Korea)

Director: JEON Soo-il

Producer: Michelle SON

Production Company: Dongnyuk Film

5. Balloon (China)

Director: Pema Tseden

Producers: Sangye Gyamtso, GUO Yonghao

Production Company: Himalaya Audio & Visual Culture Communication Co

6. Be With You (Hong Kong / Italy)

Director: PANG Ho-cheung

Producers: Subi LIANG Qiyuan, PANG Ho-cheung

Production Company: Making Film Productions Limited

7. Chocolate City GZ (China)

Director: Ruby YANG

Producers: Lambert YAM, Ruby YANG

Production Company: Chang Ai Media Project Ltd.

8. City of the Lost Things (Taiwan)

Director: YEE Chih-Yen

Producer: LEE Lieh

Production Company: One Production Film Company

9. Cross Road (China)

Director: PENG Tao

Producer: PENG Tao

Production Company: New Youth Independent Film Studio

10. Curious Grandmas: The Murder of Annet Van Houten (Indonesia)

Director: Lucky KUSWANDI

Producer: Sammaria SIMANJUNTAK

Production Company: The Fat Cocoon

11. Elephant Soldiers (Armenia)

Directors: Vardan HOVHANNISYAN, Inna SAHAKYAN

Producers: Yulia GRIGORYANTS, Inna SAHAKYAN

Production Company: Bars Media Studio

12. The Enemy – 1949 (Taiwan)

Director: CHANG Tso-Chi

Producer: CHANG Tso-Chi

Production Company: Chang Tso Chi Film Studio

13. Flowing Stories (Hong Kong / France / UK)

Director: TSANG Tsui-shan

Producer: Teresa KWONG

Production Company: River Vision Production

14. The Fourth Direction (India)

Director: Gurvinder SINGH

Producer: Kartikeya Narayan SINGH

Production Company: The Film Cafe

15. Hangman (Thailand)

Directors: Jakrawal NILTHAMRONG, Ionut PITURESCU

Producers: Patricia DRATI, Tine FISCHER, Pimpaka TOWIRA

Production Companies: CPH:DOX, Extra Virgin Co., Ltd.

16. Here Comes the Sun (Israel)

Director: Eitan ANNER

Producers: Gal GREENSPAN, Roi KURLAND

Production Company: GREEN productions

17. Igna (The Philippines)

Director: Eduardo ROY JR.

Producers: Almond DERLA, Ferdinand LAPUZ

Production Company: Found Films

18. Imperial Exam (China)

Director: TAN Chui Mui

Producer: JIA Zhangke

Production Company: Xstream Pictures

19. Lost in Poetry (Iceland)

Director: Fridrik Thor FRIDRIKSSON

Producer: Fridrik Thor FRIDRIKSSON

Production Company: Icelandic Film Corporation

20. Love: 1984 (Japan / Czech Republic / Slovakia)

Directors: SODA Kazuhiro, Peter KEREKES

Producers: Patricia DRATI, Peter KEREKES

Production Companies: CPH:DOX, Peter Kerekes Ltd.

21. The MacLennan Affair (Hong Kong)

Directors: Derek TSANG, Jimmy WAN

Producer: Lorna TEE

Production Company: afterimage production Limited

22. Monsters (South Korea)

Director: KIM Baek-jun

Producer: KIL Young-min

Production Company: JK Film

23. Music and the Nation (Hong Kong)

Director: CHEUNG King-wai

Producers: CHEUNG King-wai, WONG Suet-lee

Production Company: Beautiful Productions Limited

24. My Dictator (South Korea)

Director: LEE Hae-jun

Producer: KIM Moo-ryoung

Production Company: banzakbanzak Film Production

25. Night of Their Own (China)

Director: ZHAO Ye

Producer: LI Shanshan

Production Company: Beijing Creative Art Talent Corporation

26. Ready for War (China)

Director: GU Changwei

Producers: GU Changwei, YANG Weiwei

Production Company: Lab 852 Co., Ltd.

27. Red Umbrella (Indonesia)

Directors: Andri CUNG, Edward GUNAWAN

Producer: Edward GUNAWAN

Production Company: Add Word Productions

28. The Seen and Unseen (Indonesia)

Director: Kamila ANDINI

Producer: Gita FARA

Production Company: SET Film Production

29. Tang Wong (Thailand)

Director: Kongdej JATURANRASMEE

Producers: Kongdej JATURANRASMEE, Soros SUKHUM

Production Company: The Twin Production

30. (Un)Making the Betrayal (Indonesia / Malaysia)

Director: Dain SAID

Producer: Nandita SOLOMON

Production Company: Apparat

31. The Vicious Criminal (Japan)

Director: SHIRAISHI Kazuya

Producer: CHIBA Yoshinori

Production Company: Nikkatsu Corporation

32. You’re a Big Girl Now (Malaysia / Taiwan / China)

Director: Tze CHUN

Producer: Mynette LOUIE

Production Company: Syncopated Films