Renowned director Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of a number of heavyweight film producers to be announced at the Hong Kong International Film Pageant's (HKIFF) Hong Kong-Asian Film Financing Forum (HAF), which has unveiled 25 development projects for its 23rd edition. expertise.
One of the many highlights is Yellow , directed by newcomer Miyo Yamaura and produced by Hirokazu Kore-eda. The film tells the story of a man spiraling into self-punishment after a fatal car accident, who finds redemption through a relationship with his deceased friend's young son.
This selection showcases many established filmmakers cultivating new voices. Sylvie Pialat and Nai An are backing Hu Wei's “49 Days,” about a divorced Chinese couple who reunite in Paris to rearrange their son's funeral. Aditya Vikram Sengupta is producing Niladri Mukherjee's debut film Republic of Mahalaxmi Residence, which is being produced through a The key points of majority rule in India are examined in the story of a single mother who became the public enemy of her property after reporting a faulty elevator.
The selection includes many science fiction entries. Wang Kunlin's “2181 Overture” is adapted from the Hugo Award-nominated novella by Chinese writer Gu Shi. It tells the story of a scientist who wakes up from cryogenic hibernation and searches for her missing daughter through an e-book she left behind. Thora Shaw's “Soma” depicts the inhabitants of a city filled with petrified vegetation who are transformed back into monsters after a mysterious explosion.
The line-up also includes dramatic works: Fan Jiajun's “The Closer” follows a face-blind detective as he confronts the repressed memories of his missing mother, while Edmund Young's “The Age of Farewell” explores The difficult relationship between a woman and her stepdaughter, and the latter's new lover in 1970s Malaysia. Xie Yinghua's “Indigo Boy,” produced by Ye Rufeng, tackles despair through the story of two close friends who grapple with mental illness, and when the opposite disappears, one only cares about life.
Jun Robles Lana returns with “The Circumcisers,” a couple of 16-year-old boys living in 1920s American-ruled Philippines who yearn to learn English rather than succeed their father Become the only circumciser in the village. Zheng Lu Xinyuan's “The Stranger at the Door,” produced by Kwan Kam Peng, tells the story of a novice film director who finds solace in a French composer as he prepares to make a film about his mother's sexual abuse.
Other notable initiatives include Chan Sileong's The Waves, an LGBTQ+ drama about two boys who rise up by the sea and whose life decisions push them aside; and Saurav Rai's Lanka , a psychological revenge drama about a flawed karate training that escalates into a cycle of revenge between two families.
The three-day event will be held in conjunction with FilMart at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center from March 17 to 19, continuing to cement its position as one of Asia's leading film evangelistic markets. According to HKIFF business director Jacob Wong, HAF23 received 276 entries from 45 international locations and regions, from Hong Kong to Thailand, Turkey, Kazakhstan and South Korea.
“These finalists excel for their cultural range. They showcase extraordinary storytelling in a variety of genres, from action to science fiction, fantasy, suspense and horror,” Huang said. “This year, nine initiatives were launched by female managers, in addition to multiple collaborations with filmmakers from Asia, Europe and North America, highlighting Hong Kong's position at the crossroads of the global film industry.”
Mr. Wong said that this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival Commercial Market will showcase a number of animation initiatives in different stages of improvement in a new independent section, which will be announced in mid-February. At least 13 HAF 2025 programs have received partial funding, with budgets ranging from $200,000 to $5 million.
HAF 2025 Improvement Initiatives
“2181 Overture” (China, Canada)
Director: Wang Kunlin
Producer: Zhao Zheyuan
Production Company: Yecheer Photos Co.
“49 Days” (France, China)
Director: Hu Wei
Producers: Sylvie Pialat, Naian
Production company: Les movie du Worso
“Aanaikatti Blues” (India)
Director: Arun Karthik
Producer: Madhu Mohan
Production Company: Manvasanai Cinema
“The Era of Farewell” (Taiwan, Malaysia)
Director: Edmund Young
Producers: David Tang, Edmund Yeo, Dennis Lai, Zhao Jin
Fabrication: Renaissance films restrained, happy group photos
“Besik. Return” (Tajikistan, Kazakhstan)
Director: Iskandar Usmanov
Producers: Diana Akhimova, Yerlan Ibrahim, Iskander Usmanov
Manufacturing Company: Workforce
“Bird Chaser” (China)
Director: Zeng Zhi
Producers: Li Tianyu, Joey Zhu Yinying
Production company: Beijing Pinwu Culture Communication Co., Ltd.
“The Circumciser” (Philippines)
Director: Jun Robles Lana
Producers: Perci Intalan, Ferdy Lapuz
Manufacturing Company: The IdeaFirst Company
“Death Tide” (Malaysia)
Director: Kevin Kee
Producer: Li Xinzhi, Jin Ong
Manufacturing Company: Quick Ahead Movies Sdn Bhd
“Pray to the South and to the West” (Thailand)
Administrator: Panu Aree, Kong Rithdee
Producer: Pannu Aarey
Manufacturing Company: Drive South Pray West Photos
“Giant Salamander” (China)
Director: Yang Heng
Producer: Yang Heng
Manufacturing Firm: Xiangxi Meixi House Tradition Media Co.
“Gone with the Wind” (China)
Director: Zhao Yanming
Producer: Aubrey Zheng Liyan
Production company: Beijing Daxiwang Traditional Media Co., Ltd.
“Indigo Boy” (Taiwan)
Director: Xie Fangfang
Producers: Ye Rufeng, Jiang Yuhua
Manufacturing Company: Aroma Creative Integration Co., Ltd.
“harmless meat” (China)
Director: Lin Yihan
Producers: Li Yuwen, Hattie Yu
Production Company: Huge Vista Movies
“Lanka” (India)
Director: Saurav Rai
Producers: Saurav Rai, Ankita Purkayastha
Manufacturing Company: Neonate Audio LLP
“Mabuyi” (Japanese)
Director: Takeshi Fukunaga
Producers: Shin Yamaguchi, Eric Nyari
Manufacturing companies: Knockonwood Inc., Cineric Inventive
“Open Hearth” (Hong Kong)
Administrators: Shi Bolin, Liu Yongtai
Producer: Wang Yifan
Manufacturing Company: Scene 1 Image Restricted
“Pivot” (Türkiye)
Director: Melissa O'Neill
Producer: Alara Hamamgyoglu Bayaktar
Production company: Vigo Films
“Mahalakshmi Republic House” (India)
Director: Niladri Mukherjee
Producers: Aditya Vikram Sengupta, Priyankar Patra
Manufacturing company: for movies
“Goodbye” (China, Hong Kong)
Director: Wong Yi-kwan
Producers: Wang Hongwei, Music Dafa
Production company: Beijing Density Blue Film and Television Company
“Seoulers” (South Korea, United States)
Administrators: Hee Younger Pyun, Jiajun Oscar Zhang
Producers: Heejung Oh, Huang Yue, Christine Shen
Manufacturing Company: Seesaw Photos
“Somatization” (China)
Director: Chauso
Producers: Wang Hongwei, Music Dafa, Lyu Grasp
Production company: Beijing Granary Film and Television Traditional Co., Ltd.
“One Thing in the Method” (Hong Kong)
Director: Fan Jiajun
Producer: Lin Shuxian
Manufacturing company: Loudprovisions
“Stranger at the Door” (Hong Kong, China)
Director: Zheng Lu Xinyuan
Producer: Kwan Kam Pong
Manufacturing Company: Not applicable
“Waves at the bottom of the sea” (Macau, China, Hong Kong)
Director: Chen Siriang
Producers: Chen Qingjia, Robin Yung
Manufacturing Company: Not applicable
“Yellow” (Japan)
Director: Miyo Yamaura
Producer: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Jun Ōhinata
Manufacturing company: Bunbuku
