Screen profiles the 15 work-in-progress projects participating in the 22nd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF)
Admission (China)
Dir Quentin Hsu Kun-Hua
Prods Hsu Hsiao-Ming, Ruby Chen, Lin Chi-An
Prod co Coolie Films
This social drama centres on the anxiety of two parents looking to register their son in a good school. They meet with a school board member and admissions agent to explore who has sabotaged their plans. Director Hsu wrote (Sex) Appeal, which premiered at Busan in 2014 and was nominated for three Golden Horse Awards. Producer Hsu is the acclaimed director of Dust Of Angels, with producing credits including Chongqing Blues.
Contact Lin Chi-An, producer
Deep Quiet Room (Tai-It-Pol)
Dir Shen Ko-Shang
Prods Arthur Chu, Sylvia Shih Yea-Chun, Patrick Mao Huang
Prod cos Wind Rises Entertainment, Oxygen Films, Flash Forward Entertainment
Following the suicide of his wife, a grieving husband immerses himself in her world to unravel the mystery behind her actions, in this first narrative feature from documentarian Shen (A Rolling Stone). The cast is led by Ariel Lin and Joseph Chang. Producer Huang of Taipei-based Flash Forward Entertainment previously produced Tiger Stripes, winner of the Critics’ Week grand prize in Cannes last year.
Contact Brendan Mao Huang, producer
Diamonds In The Sand (Phil-Japan-Malay)
Dir Janus Victoria
Prods Lorna Tee, Dan Villegas
Prod cos Paperheart, Project 8 Projects
This drama centres on a divorced and demoted salaryman in Tokyo who decides to travel to Manila in search of a new lease of life. Manila-born director Victoria has previously made shorts that have been selected for Busan and DMZ, among other festivals. Producer Villegas has made more than 20 films himself including That Thing Called Tadhana (2015), which became one of the highest-grossing independent films in Philippines cinema history.
Contact Lorna Tee, producer
Elapse (China)
Dir Zhang Hanyi
Prod Ma Xiaotian
Prod co Rare Pictures
Returning home after a period away, a woman confronts her inept brother, alcoholic mother and reticent grandmother in this family drama. However, she sparks chaos instead of instilling order. Zhang wrote and directed Life After Life in 2016, winning a Firebird award at Hong Kong International Film Festival and the grand prize at Tokyo Filmex. Screenwriting credits include Dragonfly Eyes, which won a jury prize at Locarno in 2017.
Contact Ma Xiaotian, producer
Green Persimmon (China)
Dir Zhang Zhongyu
Prods Lu Xiaowei, Su Zitong, Sun Yu
Prod co Qingdao Little Teenager Culture Media
A married woman and a man recently released from prison find solace in each other as they unravel past trauma and forge their paths towards redemption. Drama Green Persimmon marks the feature directing debut of Zhang, who graduated from the prestigious Beijing Film Academy. The project’s producers include Su, an actor and filmmaker who starred in 2016’s My Goddess and directed 2020’s The Prince Without A Face.
Contact Zhang Zhongyu, director
Heirloom (India)
Dir Upamanyu Bhattacharyya
Prods Arya A Menon, Shubham Karna
Prod co Odd & Even Pictures
This animated feature centres on a married couple and is set against the backdrop of Indian textiles and fabrics. The husband is the inheritor of a handloom trade and wants to maintain traditions, while the wife advocates for a powerloom to embrace modernity, sparking conflict between the two. It marks the debut feature of Kolkata-based Bhattacharyya, whose 2020 short Wade won the City of Annecy award at Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Producer Menon’s credits include Netflix’s first Indian series Sacred Games.
Contact Arya A Menon, producer
Intimate Encounter (Tai)
Dir Chang Tso-Chi
Prod Kao Wen-Horng
Prod co Chang Tso Chi Film Studio
Prompted by the chaos of the Covid‑19 pandemic, this drama follows a man in Taiwan who has received a heart transplant but cannot shake the gloom cast over his renewed life after a seemingly endless string of unfortunate events. Director Chang has previously worked with acclaimed directors including Tsui Hark, Hou Hsiao-hsien and Yu Kan-ping. He will work with producer and regular collaborator Kao, having previously teamed on A Time In Quchi (2013), Thanatos, Drunk (2015), Synapses (2019) and Flotsam And Jetsam (2022).
Contact Chang Tso-Chi, director
Kawalan (Phil)
Dir Lav Diaz
Prod Hazel Orencio
Prod co Sine Olivia Pilipinas
Prolific and acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Diaz is planning this drama set in the midst of the Second World War, some time between 1942 and 1943. It centres on a venerable old mayor in the remote town of Kawalan who learns the invading Japanese forces are incoming and organises the construction of a hidden settlement in the forest where they can avoid the horrors of war. Produced by Diaz’s own Sine Olivia Pilipinas, Kawalan will be produced by actress and regular collaborator Orencio.
Contact Hazel Orencio, producer
The Land Is Our Navel (China)
Dir Zhang Zhongchen
Prods Midi Z, Chen Kunyang, Xie Haochi
Prod co Beijing San Yue Culture Media
This drama centres on a mother and young child whose peaceful village life is upended when a ghost child arrives in search of their own mother, leading the two youngsters to embark on a surreal journey together. It marks Zhang’s follow up to his 2021 debut feature The White Cow and is produced by filmmaker Midi Z, whose directing credits include Berlinale 2014 premiere Ice Poison. Fellow producer Chen previously worked with Zhang on The White Cow.
Contact Chen Kunyang, producer
Montages Of A Modern Motherhood (HK)
Dir Oliver Chan Siu-kuen
Prods Oliver Chan Siu-kuen, Lung Kwok-yiu
Prod co No Ceiling Film Production
A new mother faces drastic changes in her life in this Hong Kong-set drama. Taking care of her baby without the help of her reluctant husband, she seeks an immediate solution to the situation. The cast includes Hedwig Tam and Lo Chun Yip. It marks the latest from Chan, whose 2018 debut Still Human earned her best new director at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Producer Lung’s credits include The Sunny Side Of The Street, which won three Taipei Golden Horse Awards.
Contact Lung Kwok-yiu, producer
Ravens (Fr-Jap-Sp-Belg)
Dir Mark Gill
Prods Orian Williams, Cyril Cadars, Kawamura Hideki, Ishii Fukasawa Megumi
Prod cos Vestapol, Ark Entertainment, Minded Factory
UK director Gill received an Oscar and Bafta nomination in 2014 for his first short The Voorman Problem, and made his feature debut in 2017 with Morrissey biopic England Is Mine. His latest drama explores the life of iconic Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase, played by Asano Tadanobu, as he faces inner demons and deals with the pain of a broken marriage. Producers include Williams, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated Shadow Of The Vampire and Bafta and Cannes award winner Control.
Contact Cyril Cadars, producer
To Kill A Mongolian Horse (China)
Dir Jiang Xiaoxuan
Prods Tan Chui Mui, Mo Zhulin
Prod co Manda Jiang Productions
Set amid the harsh steppes on the border of Mongolia and China, this drama follows a man who tends to his family ranch by day and works as an entertainer by night, performing tricks on horseback for tourists. It marks the feature debut of Mongolia’s Jiang, who graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and saw her 2022 short Graveyard Of Horses selected for Tallinn Black Nights and SXSW. Producer Tan is also an acclaimed Malaysian filmmaker who won awards at Busan and Rotterdam in 2006 with Love Conquers All and at Shanghai with 2021’s Barbarian Invasion.
Contact Jiang Xiaoxuan, director
The Way We Talk (HK)
Dir Adam Wong Sau-ping
Prods Jacqueline Liu, Ho Hong
Prod co One Cool Workshop
This Hong Kong drama centres on three young people who each deal with being deaf in different ways and form a bond of love and friendship. The cast is led by Neo Yau and marks the latest feature from Wong, whose The Way We Dance (2013) and She Remembers, He Forgets (2015) won prizes at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Sequel The Way We Keep Dancing (2021) was the closing film of Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in 2021. Producer Liu of powerhouse One Cool Film has credits including Warriors Of Future and Vital Signs.
Contact Jacqueline Liu, producer
The Wind Is Unstoppable (China)
Dir Huo Meng
Prod Zhang Fan
Prod co Floating Light (Foshan) Film and Culture
Beginning in 1991, when China was undergoing significant socioeconomic transformation, this family saga centres on rural people who found themselves under pressure from the one-child policy, faced with the decision to remain in their homes or seek work in cities. Director Huo is known for 2018 debut feature Crossing The Border – Zhaoguan.
Contact Zhang Fan, producer
Yongle Palace (China-HK)
Dir Nan Xin
Prods Yang Chao, Yang Jing, Liu Yuting
Prod co Macao International Film and Television Festival Industry Culture
This romantic drama follows a middle-aged man who has a chance meeting with a TikTok celebrity, leading to unexpected consequences. Filmmaker Xin’s debut was Go Fishing (2021), after making several shorts. Producer Chao is also known as a director, whose 2016 feature Crosscurrent competed at the Berlinale.
Contact Nan Xin, producer
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