Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase and Wei Te-sheng, director of Taiwanese blockbuster Cape No. 7, are among the filmmakers who have had projects selected for the seventh edition of the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).

Kawase, who was awarded the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2007 for Mourning Forest, will be presenting a project entitled And Protect, Protected at the three-day financing event, while Wei will be present with Seediq Bale - an epic budgeted at $10m.

Other high-profile directors to have projects selected include China's Lu Chuan and Ning Hao, Singapore's Jack Neo and Korea's Na Hong-jin who created a stir last year with his debut The Chaser.

The Philippines is strongly represented with projects from three directors, including Brillante Mendoza who competed at Cannes last year with Serbis, along with Adolfo Jr Alix and Francis Xavier Pasion.

Four Hong Kong projects have been selected, including the directorial debut of actress Charlie Young, and projects from Dante Lam, Teddy Chen and Barbara Wong Chun-chun. Young recently starred alongside Nicolas Cage in the Pang Brothers' remake of their own film Bangkok Dangerous.

'This year's selection of projects reaffirms HAF's commitment to not only supporting global independent cinema with unique voices but also finds common ground between what is considered an art house film and a commercial one,' said HAF reading committee member Tim Kwok.

HAF takes place March 23-25 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre and kicks off on the same day as Filmart (March 23-26). The Hong Kong International Film Festival will run March 22-April 13.

FULL LINE-UP FOR HAF 2009:

1. And Protect, Protected (working title) (Japan)

Director: KAWASE Naomi

Producer: NAITO Yuko

Production Company: Kumie Inc.

2. Amarikan: Amagasaki Monogatari (Japan)

Director: MORIOKA Toshiyuki

Producer: IIZUKA Eiju

Production Company: NHK Enterprises, Inc.

3. Blood Maple and the Passion of the Kid (Thailand)

Director: Chartchai KETNUST

Producer: Pantham THONGSANG

Production Company: Magenta Media Creation Co

4. Chop Chop (The Philippines)

Director: Brillante MENDOZA

Producer: Ferdinand LAPUZ, Didier COSTET

Production Company: Centerstage Productions Inc.

5. Christmas Rose (Hong Kong)

Director: Charlie YOUNG

Producer: Oxide PANG

Produ ction Company: ERA International (HK)

6. The Dancer (Indonesia)

Director: Ifa ISFANSYAH

Producer: Shanty HARMAYN

Production Company: Salto Films

7. Door (Japan)

Director: OIKAWA Ataru

Producer: KITO Yukie

Production Company: Entertainment Farm

8. The End of Tunnel (Taiwan)

Director: CHANG Rong-ji

Producer: Jacky PANG Yee-wah

Production Company: Jet Tone Films

9. Enko (aka Compensated Dating) (Hong Kong)

Director: Barbara WONG Chun-chun

Producer: Barbara WONG Chun-chun, Gus LIEM

Production Company: Diva Productions Limited

10. The Flower Of Evil (South Korea)

Director: YIM Phil-sung

Producer: CHOI Jae-won, SEO Woo-sik

Production Company: Barunson Film Division

11. Help (Chinese mainland)

Director: LI Ying

Producer: ZHANG Yunhui

Production Company: Dragon Films, The Film Library

12. The Hero (Chinese mainland)

Director: NING Hao

Producer: NING Hao

Production Company: Injo Film

13. I Enforce (South Korea)

Director: RYOO Seung-wan

Producer: KANG Hyeo-jeong

Production Company: Filmmaker R&K Co

14. I'm Good, Mom (Taiwan)

Director: CHANG Tso-chi

Producer: CHANG Tso-chi

Production Company: Chang Tso Chi Film Studio

15. Jewel (Australia)

Director: Murali THALLURI

Producer: Helen LEAKE, Nick SELTH

Production Company: Jewel Films Pty Ltd

16. The Murderer (South Korea)

Director: NA Hong-jin

Producer: HAN Sung-goo

Production Company: Popcorn Film Inc.

17. Porno (The Philippines)

Director: Adolfo Jr. ALIX

Producer: Arleen CUEVAS

Production Company: Bicycle Pictures

18. Punitive Homicide (Hong Kong)

Director: Teddy CHEN

Producer: John CHONG

Production Company: Media Asia Films

19. Sampaguita: (Our National Flower's Journal to Decay) (The Philippines)

Director: Francis Xavier PASION

Producer: Ferdinand LAPUZ

Production Company: Pasion Para Pelikula Productions

20. A Secret Boy (South Korea)

Director: LEE Jeong-beom

Producer: LEE Tae-hun

Production Company: Opus Pictures

21. Seediq Bale (Taiwan)

Director: WEI Te-sheng

Producer: Jimmy HUANG

Production Company: ARS Film Production

22. Six 'Brave' Warriors (Singapore)

Director: Jack NEO

Producer: Philip WU, TOONG Soowei

Production Company: Neo Studios Pte Ltd

23. Sleep with Hypnotist (Chinese mainland)

Director: LU Chuan

Producer: LU Chuan

Production Company: Beijing Yuanchuan Film TV & Culture Ltd

24. Time for Children (Japan)

Director: MAEDA Tetsu

Producer: YAMAGAMI Tetsujiro

Production Company: Siglo Ltd

25. Vertigo (Vietnam)

Director: Chuyen BUI THAC

Producer: Tat Binh DANG

Production Company: The Feature Films Studio No.1

26. Wanted (Hong Kong)

Director: Dante LAM

Producer: Candy LEUNG

Production Company: Blue Fiction Ltd.

27. Winter Vacation (Chinese mainland)

Director: LI Hongqi

Producer: NING Cai, ZHANG Lu

Production Company: Inner Mongolia Official Film Studio

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