MediaCorpRaintree Pictures started production this week on its long-gestating Leap Of Love, a romantic comedy that CEODaniel Yun has been developing for years with the aim of raising the profile ofSingapore film on the international stage.

TheEnglish-language picture - which has a high $1.5m (S$2.5m) budget by localstandards - is directed by French-Venezuelan Fina Torres (Woman On Top, CelestialClockwork) while Kwan Pun Leung who worked on Wong Kar Wai's 2046 is the director of photography.

Leap Of Love is understood to beRaintree's first co-production with Japan and has a Japanese actor as the malelead, but their identities will only be disclosed at a later stage.

Basedon popular local writer Catherine Lim's novella, Leap of Love centres on the six leap days when two lovers meet eachother over the course of 20 years. Shooting is expected to wrap in March intime for a release during the June school holidays.

Meanwhile,Raintree is working on a slate of projects, including three completed Chinese-languagefilms set for distribution this year. Jack Neo's I Do, I Do, the first local production to hit theatres this year,is due to open on February 8 during the Chinese New Year holiday while KelvinTong's horror film The Maid, aSingapore-Hong Kong-Philippines co-production, will open on March 10.

One Last Dance, directed byBrazilian-American Max Makowski, is now in post-production due for a mid-yeardelivery. The gangster flick, which stars Hong Kong veteran Francis Ng, hasbeen sold to Japan, France and the Benelux.

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