Coo-Coo 043

Source: Courtesy of Golden Horse Film Festival

‘Coo-Coo 043’

Distribution Workshop, one of Asia’s leading film sales agents, is set to launch three features to buyers in Busan including Golden Horse Awards frontrunner Coo-Coo 43.

At the Asian Contents and Film Market (Oct 8-11), the Taiwanese company will also commence sales on two new dramas produced by China’s Bona Group: In Search Of Lost Time and Ordinary Hero. It marks first in-person market for the Taipei-based firm since the start of the pandemic.

Coo-Coo 043 is written and directed by Chan Ching Lin (The Island That All Flow By) and tracks the journey of a pigeon-racing family as they struggle to rebuild their life following the disappearance of their son and a prized pigeon.

The Taiwanese feature has secured 13 nominations at the upcoming Golden Horse Awards, including best film and best director. The cast is led by Yu An-shun, Yang Li-yin, Rimong Ihwar and HU Jhih-Ciang, who have all received nominations. It is set to open the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival on November 2 before being released in local cinemas on November 18.

Distribution Workshop is also set to launch In Search of Lost Time, directed by Derek Yee, whose previous feature was 2016 action drama Sword Master. Based on true events of the transfer of 3,000 orphans to Inner Mongolia in the 1950s, an old man embarks on a long journey 60 years later to find his long-lost sister adopted by a Mongolian family. The cast includes Chen Baoguo (Operation Mekong) and Ma Su (See You Tomorrow). It premiered as the opening film of the Beijing International Film Festival in August before releasing in China on September 9.

Ordinary Hero by Tony Chan, who directed 2019 firefighter drama The Bravest, is also based on true events. It follows a rescue mission including doctors, police and people from all walks of life in Xinjiang who race against time to transport a seven-year-old boy who urgently needs limb reattachment surgery. The cast is led by Li Bingbing (The Meg), Feng Shaofeng (Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings) and Huang Xiaoming (The Bravest). The film opened in China on September 30 for the week-long National Day holiday.