The 29th edition of Hong Kong Filmart opened Monday and saw the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) thronging with people, in a pleasing throwback to the pre-pandemic days of the event.
The Hollywood Reporter was right in the thick of things on the main exhibition floor, mingling with the crowds and scouring the seemingly endless hallways to get a sense of what titles attendees and dealmakers were most excited about. After much discussion, THR picks out the five features that are really turning heads at Filmart this year.
Valley of the Shadow of Death (Hong Kong)
The great Anthony Wong (Infernal Affairs, Still Human) returns in a role that plays to the veteran star’s strengths, that is, a character at odds with the world, and with his place in it. In Valley of the Shadow of Death, Wong dons a cassock to play a pastor who must deal with the man responsible for his daughter’s death. So does he remain a servant to his faith or fall prey to the passions of a vengeful father? Emerging talents Jeffrey Lam and Antonio Tam co-direct.
Sales: Golden Scene
‘The Ugly’
Plus M
The Ugly (South Korea)
Train to Busan announced director Yeon Sang-ho’s talents to the world, with the action-packed thriller collecting $140 million from the global box office and breathing life back into the zombie genre. Before that, his animated The King of Pigs had shown off the filmmaker’s artistic genius, and it is to his own graphic novel Yeon turns here with The Ugly, the tale of a young man (Park Jeong-min) whose desire to uncover his father’s past lead to some dark family secrets.
Sales: Plus M
’96 Minutes’
Wowing Entertainment Group
96 Minutes (Taiwan)
Big budget, big buzz. The filmmakers estimate $4.5 million has gone into making 96 Minutes, an action-thriller with Hung Tzu-Hsuan (Golden Horse-nominated for his debut The Scoundrels) helming. The film adopts the tried and tested formula of having a bomb that’s about to go off as the heroes race against time, in this case the explosive is on a high-speed train that runs between Taipei and Kaohsiung. 96 Minutes stars popular Taiwanese talents Austin Lin and Vivian Sung.
Sales: Wowing Entertainment Group
‘A Mighty Adventure’
Zero One Film/Flystudio
A Mighty Adventure (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia)
Hong Kong’s HKIFF Industry Project Market program has leaned into animation this year and much is expected by the return of Toe Yeun, director of the critically acclaimed My Life as McDull (2001). His new film, A Might Adventure, is a co-production between Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and concerns itself with how a grasshopper, a spider and a butterfly try to take control of their own destiny.
Inquires: Zero One Film, Flystudio
‘Dead Tide’
Fast Forward Films
Dead Tide (Malaysia)
Another title from Filmart’s financing sidebars, Dead Tide has some heavyweight talent behind the scenes and reunites multi-award-winning actress/producer Lee Sinje (The Eye) and the veteran producer/director Jin Ong (Abang Adik). Director Kethsvin Chee has turned to childhood experiences for a rural tale that sees two lost souls turn to each other for company, and for redemption.
Inquiries: Fast Forward Films
