Taipei-based sales company Ablaze Image has picked up international rights to Kano, produced by Wei Te-sheng (Warriors Of The Rainbow: Seediq Bale), and Yee Chih-yen’s long-awaited third feature.

Kano, a $10m sports drama based on a true story, marks the directorial debut of Umin Boya (also known by his Chinese name Ma Chih-Hsiang). Set in the 1920s when Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the story focuses on a multi-ethnic baseball team making its way to Japan’s high school baseball championship.

Wei Te-sheng and Jummy Huang, the creative team behind Warriors Of The Rainbow: Seediq Bale, are producing the film which is currently in post-production for a February 2014 release. The cast includes Japanese actors Masatoshi Nagase, Takao Osawa, Maki Sakai and Togo Igawa.

Yee Chih-yen’s Lefty Sky (working title) is the Taiwanese director’s first film in 11 years since his award-winning Blue Gate Crossing.

Produced by Lee Lieh (Zone Pro Site: The Moveable Feast), the comedy drama revolves around two intelligent teenage boys attempting to steal their school’s bronze statue of Dr Sun Yat-Sen. The film recently wrapped and will be released in Taiwan in August 2014.

Ablaze Image will start sales on the two titles at the upcoming Asian Film Market in Busan, where it will also be handling recent Taiwanese hit Zone Pro Site and Atom Cinema library titles such as Step Back To Glory, When The Wolf Falls In Love With A Sheep and GF*BF.

Founded by former Edko Films international sales chief June Wu, Ablaze Image is partnered with leading Taiwanese production houses Atom Cinema and One Production Film Co.

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