Fan Bingbing, Lee Kang-Sheng Star as Hong Kong’s HAF Unveils 15 Work-in-Progress Projects, Alumni Head to Berlin

Naman Ramachandran

10 February 2025 at 2:14 am·3-min read

Hong Kong International Film Festival Society’s (HKIFF)’s Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) has announced a slate of 15 work-in-progress features, showcasing a mix of established auteurs and emerging talent from across Asia.

The projects will be presented at the expanded HKIFF Industry Project Market, running March 17-19 alongside Hong Kong’s FilMart. They join a slate of previously announced 25 in-development projects.

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Leading the pack are new works from acclaimed filmmakers, including Golden Horse winner Huang Ji’s “A Woman Builds,” co-directed with Otsuka Ryuji, which explores a Chinese woman’s quest to build a house while separated from her Japanese family during COVID-19. Qiu Jiongjiong, whose “A New Old Play” nabbed Locarno’s Special Jury Prize, returns with “Fuxi: Joy in Four Chapters,” a dark comedy about Sichuan cuisine featuring “Stranger Eyes” star Lee Kang-Sheng.

Other notable projects include Chong Keat Aun’s “Mother Bhumi,” headlined by Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing, a mystery about a widowed farmer confronting her husband’s death, Sakamoto Yukari’s supernatural boarding school tale “White Flowers and Fruits” with “Drive My Car” producer Yamamoto Teruhisa, and Yashasvi Juyal’s migrant worker drama “The Ink-Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb.”

The lineup marks several directorial debuts, including Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian’s “Pangku,” tackling the controversial practice of lap-sitting in coffee shops, and Tribeny Rai’s “Shape of Momo,” which earned top honors at India’s NFDC Film Bazaar WIP lab.

Genre offerings include Isabel Sandoval’s 1970s Manila-set “Moonglow,” starring the director alongside Arjo Atayde, and Wang Tong’s “Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts,” featuring Wan Qian and Qu Chuxiao in a twisted romance between a zookeeper and a serial killer.

The youth-focused slate includes Ang Geck Geck’s “Ah Girl,” about a seven-year-old caught between divorced parents, and Tracy Choi’s “Girlfriends,” starring Jennifer Yu and Fish Liew in a tri-city romance spanning Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Joining them are Gong Yiwen’s documentary-styled “Her First Taste,” capturing raw adolescent emotions through an amateur cast, and Li Jing’s “Name and Hair,” following a teenage girl’s quest to change her identity.

Rounding out the WIP selection are emerging filmmakers Emetjan Memet’s “Good Drink Pub,” a Xinjiang-set romantic comedy about a lovelorn pub owner, and Liu Xing’s “Say My Name,” starring Yoyo Tse and Jack Tan in a tale of identity deception and romance.

The forum has also proven its industry muscle with four alumni projects making waves in Europe. Huo Meng’s “Living the Land” competes for Berlin’s Golden Bear, while Jun Li’s “Queerpanorama” and Min Kyu-dong’s “Pag-wa” screen in Panorama and Special sections respectively. Li Dongmei’s “The Fruit” recently premiered in Rotterdam’s Tiger Competition.

The projects will participate in open pitch sessions at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, offering industry professionals first looks at these upcoming features from the region.

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