Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) unveiled six shortlisted projects for the HAF Film Lab, a new program tailored for up-and-coming Chinese-speaking filmmakers. Filmmakers of the selected projects will attend a four-day training camp in October that covers sessions from script-writing and financing to sales and marketing. The Lab aims to equip the filmmakers with better industry knowledge and hence to polish up their projects with better market appeal.

From over a hundred submissions, six projects have been selected –

Zheng Luxinyuan’s ‘The Cloud in Her Room’ follows a girl’s return to Hangzhou for the Chinese New Year from her studies in Beijing, and investigates the idea of ‘home’.

Hong Kong’s independent film director Eric Tsang unveils the difficult situations of three generations through a family reunion during the winter solstice in his debut feature – ‘The Dinner’.

‘Good Night’ by Hu Jia tells a story of four desperate men and women warming each other after a long night in Northeast China.

Through an ancient seven-day funeral ritual in a village in South China, Renai Wei Yongyao’s ‘The Priest in The Village’ examines the values of spiritual ceremonies against the backdrop of urbanization. 

Liu Shengfei’s ‘Revenge Woman’ walks through the suspenseful and surreal journey of two farmers’ discovery of a box of money near a dead body, that leads to an unexpected chain reaction. 

Take Me Away‘ directed by Malaysian director Ong Chao Hong, revolves around the familiar yet peculiar experiences of rootless people living in an urban city that is not their own. 

six filmmakers shortlisted for the Film Lab project by HAF
The Shortlisted Filmmakers 

HAF is is recruiting projects for 2019 – Only One Month left remaining for the deadline!

Project Submissions for the 17th HAF will close in a month’s time. Feature Films and documentary projects are welcome! Around 30 projects will be selected to participate next year and will be competing for a number of cash and in-kind awards. Details of the submission requirements can be found here.