The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) has added 15 work-in-progress projects to the 22nd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), rounding up a bumper line-up of the new HKIFF Project Market.
This year, HAF joins the inaugural HKIFF Industry-CAA China Genre Initiative (HCG) to create the new HKIFF Industry Project Market, which will showcase 47 projects, including 26 previously announced in-development HAF projects and six HCG projects.
The WIP section will introduce the latest works by notable filmmakers such as Chang Tso-Chi, Lav Diaz, Mark Gill, Midi Z, Tan Chui Mui, and Yang Chao as well as by prominent and emerging actors, including Asano Tadanobu, Ikematsu Sosuke, Joseph Chang, Ariel Lin, Lo Chun Yip, Nai An, Hedwig Tam, Wang Hongwei, and Neo Yau.
Scroll down for full list of projects
Projects with cast revealed include documentarian Shen Ko-Shang’s first narrative feature debut Deep Quiet Room, which stars Ariel Lin and Joseph Chang in a family drama about a devastated man who unravels the painful truth of his pregnant wife’s family that leads to her suicide; and Montages Of A Modern Motherhood by Oliver Chan (Still Human) about a new mother suffering from baby blues who needs an immediate way out at all costs, with Hedwig Tam and Lo Chun Yip in the cast.
Ravens by Mark Gill (England Is Mine) stars Asano Tadanobu and is an intimate drama that looks at the tumultuous relationship between iconic Japanese photographer Fukase Masahisa and his muse, Wanibe Yoko; and The Way We Talk by Adam Wong (The Way We Dance) revolves around three young deaf people who strive to unlock life’s potential while embracing the sound of silence, with Neo Yau leading the cast.
Projects by rising directors with support from established producers include Diamonds In The Sand, the narrative feature debut of documentary filmmaker Janus Victoria that follows an ageing Japanese salaryman as he travels to Manila to escape dying alone and unnoticed. Lorna Tee (Mrs K) and Dan Villegas (Fan Girl) produce this Philippines-Japan-Malaysia co-production.
Barbarian Invasion director Tan Chui Mui is the producer of Jiang Xiaoxuan’s feature debut To Kill a Mongolian Horse, inspired by the true story of a herdsman whose dual life as a horseback performer runs parallel to the disintegration of the traditional way of life; The Land Is Our Navel, directed by Zhang Zhongchen (The White Cow) and produced by Midi Z (director of Nina Wu), tracks the surreal journey of a six-year-old girl who travels with a mysterious boy ghost and discovers her village’s tragic past; and Yongle Palace, directed by Nan Xin (Go Photo Shooting) and produced by Yang Chao (director of Crosscurrent), is an oddball comedy about a man who reluctantly helps his childhood friend-cum-creditor date an internet celebrity.
Heirloom, the first animated feature of director Upamanyu Bhattacharyya (co-director of award-winning animated short Wade) is the only animated feature in the WIP lineup. This Ahmedabad-set period family drama and is about a couple who run a handloom business and encounter a magical tapestry that immortalises their family history.
All WIP projects including their footage will be presented during an open pitch on March 11 and 12 at Hong Kong Filmart. All HKIFF Industry Project Market and Filmart badge holders can attend.
2024 HAF work-in-progress (WIP) projects
* First feature project
^ HAF in-development project
# HAF Film Lab project
Admission (China) *
Dir. Quentin Hsu Kun-Hua
Pros. Hsu Hsiao-Ming, Ruby Chen, Lin Chi-An
Prodco. Coolie Films
Deep Quiet Room (Tai-It-Pol)
Dir. Shen Ko-Shang
Pros. Arthur Chu, Sylvia Shih Yea-Chun, Partick Mao Huang
Prodcos. Wind Rises Entertainment, Oxygen Films, Flash Forward Entertainment
Diamonds In The Sand (Phil-Japan-Malay)
Dir. Janus Victoria
Pros. Lorna Tee, Dan Villegas
Prodcos. Paperheart, Project 8 Projects
Elapse (China) ^#
Dir. Zhang Hanyi
Pro. Ma Xiaotian
Prodco. Rare Pictures
Green Persimmon (China) *
Dir. Zhang Zhongyu
Pros. Lu Xiaowei, Su Zitong, Sun Yu
Prodco. Qingdao Little Teenager Culture Media
Heirloom (India) *
Dir. Upamanyu Bhattacharyya
Pros. Arya A Menon, Shubham Karna
Prodco. Odd & Even Pictures
Intimate Encounter (Tai)
Dir. Chang Tso-Chi
Pro. Kao Wen-Horng
Prodco. Chang Tso Chi Film Studio
Kawalan (Phil)
Dir. Lav Diaz
Pro. Hazel Orencio
Prodco. Sine Olivia Pilipinas
The Land Is Our Navel (China)
Dir. Zhang Zhongchen
Pros. Midi Z, Chen Kunyang, Xie Haochi
Prodco. Beijing San Yue Culture Media
Montages Of A Modern Motherhood (HK) ^
Dir. Oliver Chan Siu-kuen
Pros. Oliver Chan Siu-kuen, Lung Kwok-yiu
Prodco. No Ceiling Film Production Limited
Ravens (Fr-Japan-Sp-Bel)
Dir. Mark Gill
Pros. Orian Williams, Cyril Cadars, Kawamura Hideki, Ishii Fukasawa Megumi
Prodcos. Vestapol, Ark Entertainment, Minded Factory
To Kill A Mongolian Horse (Mainland China) *
Dir. Jiang Xiaoxuan
Pros. Tan Chui Mui, Mo Zhulin
Prodco. Manda Jiang Productions
The Way We Talk (HK)
Dir. Adam Wong Sau-ping
Pros. Jacqueline Liu, Ho Hong
Prodco. One Cool Workshop Limited
The Wind Is Unstoppable (China)
Dir. Huo Meng
Pro. Zhang Fan
Prodco. Floating Light (Foshan) Film and Culture
Yongle Palace (China-HK)
Dir. Nan Xin
Pros. Yang Chao, Yang Jing, Liu Yuting
Prodco. Macao International Film and Television Festival Industry Culture
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