A $50m action thriller with an all-star cast and the first film from Hong Kong to compete in New Currents since 2017 are among the features set for this year’s festival and market.
Festival
Another Home
Dir Frankie Sin
Director Sin’s debut feature plays in BIFF’s Wide Angle documentary competition, and is set in a tranquil fishing village on Cheung Chau, an island away from the bustling hive of Hong Kong. Sin spent his childhood in the area but it has undergone profound changes over time. Focusing on Ri-Tai, a popular food stall for local residents, Sin explores the microcosm of life and the feelings that bring people together and sometimes force them apart. Another Home is produced by Taiwan’s Volos Films, Hong Kong’s Blue Island and France’s La Fabrica Nocturna Cinema.
Contact Chiu Ping-yu, Volos Films
Montages Of A Modern Motherhood
Dir Oliver Chan
Director Chan’s latest film is the first from Hong Kong to compete in BIFF’s New Currents section since 2017, and will next travel to Tokyo to play in the festival’s Women’s Empowerment strand, a section dedicated to female-focused titles. Hedwig Tam plays a new mother who questions her sense of self when faced with the challenges of motherhood; Lo Chun Yip (Time Still Turns The Pages) co-stars. Chan’s 2018 feature debut Still Human won her best new director prizes at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and Asian Film Awards. Contact Felix Tsang, Golden Scene
Market
Cesium Fallout
Dir Anthony Pun
Billed as Hong Kong’s first radiation disaster blockbuster, Cesium Fallout spotlights a team of firefighters who risk everything to protect the city and its millions of inhabitants from destruction. Edko Films’ Bill Kong and Ivy Ho, both behind megahit A Guilty Conscience, serve as producers. The cast is led by Andy Lau, who is also producing, Bai Yu and Karen Mok. It is scheduled for release on November 1 in Hong Kong and mainland China. Pun is a DoP-turned-director whose directing credits include 2017’s Extraordinary Mission and 2023’s One More Chance.
Contact Jason Ieong, Edko Films
Someone Like Me
Dir Tam Wai Ching
This drama follows a young woman born with cerebral palsy who has never lived her own life until she finds emotional and physical liberation through interactions with a sex volunteer. The cast includes Fish Liew (A Guilty Conscience) and Carlos Chan (Ready O/R Rot), with Stanley Kwan and Catherine Kwan as producers and William Chang as director of editing. Tam’s 2017 feature directing debut In Your Dreams was fully financed by Hong Kong Film Development Council’s First Feature Film Initiative. Prior to directing, she worked as a screenwriter on blockbuster films including The White Storm and Operation Mekong. Contact Miriam Cheung, Emperor Motion Pictures
Sons Of The Neon Night
Dir Juno Mak
The long-awaited second feature by singer and actor-turned-director Mak is aiming for release in the first half of 2025. The $50m action thriller’s A-list cast includes Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Sean Lau, Louis Koo and Richie Jen. Set in a reimagined Hong Kong, the story opens with a massive explosion and shootout, the first in a series of wild actions planned by a global pharmaceutical heir. The title theme song was composed by the acclaimed musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in 2023. Mak’s feature directing debut, horror film Rigor Mortis, played at the Venice and Toronto film festivals in 2013. Contact Jin Chen, Distribution Workshop
The Way We Talk
Dir Adam Wong
Set to premiere at the upcoming BFI London Film Festival, director Wong’s latest feature explores the lives of three young deaf people as they discover life’s potential in their sound of silence. The cast is headed by Neo Yau (She Remembers, He Forgets) and Chung Suet Ying (The Lyricist Wannabe), who are nominated for best actor and best actress respectively at the Golden Horse Awards. The Way We Talk is the sixth feature by Wong, who was named best new director for 2013’s The Way We Dance at the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild. Contact Christy Choi, One Cool Pictures
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