Affirming its commitment togrooming new talents, Hong Kong's Focus Film is producing new feature films bythree directors that emerged through its First Cuts low-budget filmmakinginitiative that was unveiled last year.

Robin Lee, who shot theTaiwanese episode The Shoe Fairy,will now direct My DNA Says I Love You, a new quirky romantic comedy that has already won a grant fromTaiwan's Government Information Office (GIO). Filming is due to start inOctober.

Malaysian director Ho Yuhang(Rain Dogs) is developing 2006Cinemart project Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child for a year-end shoot while Hong Kong director LamTze Chung is working on an untitled comedy for early 2007 shoot.

Lam's I'll Call You, a satirical comedy about the battle of the sexes,will be screened this coming Wednesday as the closing film of the Hong Kong AsianFinancing Forum (HAF).

"Besides producing big,commercial film projects, we also want to cultivate new film-makers byarranging the necessary resources and support to realize their potential andreach out to a wider audience," says COO Daniel Yu.

The entire First Cuts seriesconsisting of six films shot on high-definition video has been sold to Japan(IMX), Malaysia (Golden Screen Cinemas), Singapore (Golden Village) andThailand (Sahamongkol).

In addition, Focus hasacquired two productions by independent film-makers: James Lee's love drama BeforeWe Fall In Love Again from Malaysiaand Tan Pin Pin's documentary Singapore Gaga. Both films will be screened during Filmart.

Patrick Tam's After ThisOur Exile, which Focus isco-producing with Beijing Polybona, is scheduled for a pan-Asian release inAugust. Focus also handles its international sales.

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