The year’s hottest Taiwanese films are being sold here at AFM. Sarah Cooper profiles a selection of the key titles, at all stages of production.
Battle For SkyArk
Dir Simon Hung
Empress Road Pictures is selling Hung’s $4m action adventure Battle For SkyArk, starring Caon Mortenson, Garrett Coffey and Taylor Coliee. Set in the near future, the Earth has been taken over by a mysterious race of creatures and humans have been forced to find refuge in SkyArk, a man-made city in the sky.
Contact Empress Road Pictures, Galen Christy, galen@empressroad.com
Black & White: The Dawn Of Justice
Dir Tsai Yueh-hsun
The 3D sequel to Tsai’s 2012 action hit Black & White: The Dawn Of Assault recently world premiered at Busan. Mark Chao and Huang Bo resume their roles with the addition of mainland star Lin Gengxin. Co-produced by Prajna Works Entertainment, Beijing Hualu Baina Film & TV and Gravity Pictures, the $15m film was made with an international team including French VFX house BUF (The Grandmaster) and stunt co-ordinator Jack Gill (Fast & Furious 5), who choreographed the action sequences.
Contact June Wu, Ablaze Image, junewu@ablazeimage.com
Meeting Dr Sun
Dir Yee Chih-yee
Yee, whose credits include the award-winning Blue Gate Crossing in 2002, returns with this comedy drama revolving around two teenage boys, both intelligent but from poor families, who separately set out to steal their school’s statue of Dr Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China. Produced by Lee Lieh’s One Production Film Co, Meeting Dr Sun played at Taipei Film Festival with a local release through Warner Bros Taiwan. The cast is headed by newcomers Zhan Huai-yun and Wei Han-ting.
Contact June Wu, Ablaze Image, junewu@ablazeimage.com
My Geeky Nerdy Buddies
Dir Chu Yen-ping
Co-produced by Yen Peng Films Production and Bona Film Group, this romantic comedy is about the consequences of turning up to a school’s couples party without a date, and stars Jam Hsiao and Maggie Jiang.
Contact Virginia Leung, Distribution Workshop, virginia@distributionworkshop.com
Paradise In Service
Dir Doze Niu Chen-Zer
Ethan Juan, Wan Qian and Chen Jianbin star in this wartime romantic drama, written and directed by Niu, whose credits include gangster drama Monga and romantic drama Love. The story follows a twenty-something from southern Taiwan who is drafted to serve in the military on the remote island of Kinmen. Produced by Taiwan’s Atom Cinema and Beijing-based Huayi Brothers, Paradise In Service opened Busan International Film Festival, following a local release through Warner Bros Taiwan.
Contact Ablaze Image (Asian territories) June Wu, junewu@ablazeimage.com
Sashimi
Dir/scr Pan Chih-yuan
The latest film from Da-Yu: The Touch Of Fate director Pan is a $2.5m romantic comedy about a sashimi chef and an actress, starring Kang-sheng Lee and Yui Hatano, currently in post.
Contact Sara Law, Mei Ah Entertainment. sara@meiah.com
Also in the market
Ablaze Image is also selling Cho Li’s The Rice Bomber, which screened in Berlin’s Panorama section, going on to play at Hong Kong International Film Festival and winning the special jury prize at Asian American International Film Festival. A quasi-docudrama based on agricultural activist Yang Rumen’s book White Rice Is Not a Bomb, it was produced by Ocean Deep Films.
Creative Century Entertainment Company is selling Chang Tso-chi’s A Time In Quchi; Leading Lee’s autobiographical road movie Anywhere Somewhere Nowhere; children’s animation The Frogville and Wang Yi-bai’s Star Of Bethlehem.
Encore Film Company is at AFM with the first market screening of Khan Lee’s $3m romantic drama Dream Fight.
Mei Ah Entertainment Group is also selling Shi Chang’s $2.5m romantic comedy Live@Love, starring Yang Chin-hua and Liu Yi-hao.
Star Alliance’s Battle, a hip-hop drama from director Ping Ho, currently in post, makes its market debut.
Additional reporting by Liz Shackleton
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