Taiwanese producer Patrick Mao Huang has set up China-based company Eyes Wide Open Productions, with Busan’s New Currents competitor As The River Goes By as its debut feature.
In recent years, Huang has been involved in the production of several acclaimed Southeast Asian and international collaborations through his Taiwan-based Flash Forward Entertainment, including Cannes 2023 Critics’ Week winner Tiger Stripes and Karlovy Vary 2024 best director winner Pierce.
Specialising in film production and development, Eyes Wide Open supports new mainland Chinese directors to expand into overseas markets. It has several Chinese-language projects in development and at funding stage, including Before The Summer Ends and An Excuse For Murder, both from Jing Conjia.
“International co-productions offer a valuable means of securing additional financing while expanding opportunities for global distribution,” said Huang. “My goal is to help emerging talents from Taiwan and China step onto the international stage.”
Directed by Charles Hu, As The River Goes By was developed during the pandemic and received post-production support from Busan’s Asian Cinema Fund.
Shot in the filmmaker’s hometown of Luohe in Henan province, it follows a young man who reconnects with his primary school friends at a reunion, which stirs up the long-buried secret of his father’s disappearance.
Flash Forward handles international sales.
No comments yet