The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFF) has announced the 25 in-development projects selected for its 23rd Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), with acclaimed filmmaker Kore-eda Hirokazu leading the list of established figures mentoring emerging talent.
One of the standout projects is Yellow, directed by newcomer Yamaura Miyoh and produced by Kore-eda. The film delves into the story of a man burdened by self-punishment after causing a fatal car accident and his path to redemption through a bond with his late friend’s young son.
This year’s lineup highlights collaborations between seasoned filmmakers and fresh voices. For instance, Sylvie Pialat and Nai An are producing Hu Wei’s 49 Days, about a divorced Chinese couple who reunite in Paris to arrange their son’s funeral.
Similarly, Aditya Vikram Sengupta is backing Niladri Mukherjee’s debut project, Republic of Mahalaxmi Apartment, which explores India’s majority-rule issues through the tale of a single mother who becomes an outcast in her housing estate after reporting a malfunctioning elevator.
The selection features a strong sci-fi presence, including Wang Kunlin’s 2181 Overture, based on Gu Shi’s Hugo Award-nominated novelette. The film centers on a scientist awakening from cryogenic hibernation to search for her missing daughter through clues in a book.
Another sci-fi entry, Somatization by Sun Xiao, imagines a petrochemical town where residents transform into monsters following a mysterious explosion.
Dramatic narratives also hold a prominent place. Fan Ka Chun’s Something in the Way follows a detective with face blindness confronting repressed memories of his missing mother.
Edmund Yeo’s The Age of Goodbyes explores the intricate relationships between a woman, her stepdaughter, and the latter’s new lover in 1970s Malaysia. Bill Chia’s Indigo Boy, produced by Yeh Ju-Feng, tackles depression through the story of two friends grappling with mental illness, where one thrives only when the other vanishes.
Historical and LGBTQ+ Themes
Jun Robles Lana’s The Circumciser takes viewers to 1920s U.S.-ruled Philippines, where a 16-year-old boy dreams of studying English instead of succeeding his father as the village circumciser.
Meanwhile, Zheng Lu Xinyuan’s A Stranger at My Door, produced by Stanley Kwan, follows an amateur filmmaker finding solace with a French composer as she prepares a film about her mother’s sexual abuse.
The lineup also includes Chan Sileong’s Waves Under the Sea, an LGBTQ+ drama about two boys whose diverging life choices pull them apart, and Saurav Rai’s Lanka, a psychological revenge story stemming from a karate drill gone awry.
Industry Perspective
Scheduled for March 17–19 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre alongside FilMart, the event reaffirms its status as a premier Asian film project market. HAF23 received 276 submissions from 45 countries and regions, including Thailand, Turkey, Kazakhstan, South Korea, and Hong Kong.
“These projects are remarkable for their cultural diversity and exceptional storytelling across genres like action, sci-fi, fantasy, suspense, and horror,” said Jacob Wong, HKIFF’s industry director. “This year features nine projects from female directors and several collaborations between filmmakers from Asia, Europe, and North America, solidifying Hong Kong’s position at the intersection of the global film industry.”
This year, HAF introduces a dedicated section for animation projects at various stages of development, with selections to be announced in February. Of the 2025 HAF projects, at least 13 have already secured partial funding, with budgets ranging from $200,000 to $5 million.
Below is the complete list of HAF 2025’s in-development projects, featuring an exciting array of talent and themes:
- 2181 Overture (China, Canada) – Dir: Wang Kunlin
- 49 Days (France, China) – Dir: Hu Wei
- Aanaikatti Blues (India) – Dir: Arun Karthick
- The Age of Goodbyes (Taiwan, Malaysia) – Dir: Edmund Yeo
- Besik. Homecoming (Tajikistan, Kazakhstan) – Dir: Iskandar Usmonov
- The Bird Chaser (China) – Dir: Zeng Zhi
- The Circumciser (Philippines) – Dir: Jun Robles Lana
- Dead Tide (Malaysia) – Dir: Kethsvin Chee
- Drive South Pray West (Thailand) – Dir: Panu Aree, Kong Rithdee
- Giant Salamander (China) – Dir: Yang Heng
- Gone with the Wind (China) – Dir: Zhao Yanming
- Indigo Boy (Taiwan) – Dir: Bill Chia
- Innocent Flesh (China) – Dir: Lin Yihan
- Lanka (India) – Dir: Saurav Rai
- Mabui (Japan) – Dir: Fukunaga Takeshi
- Open Fire (Hong Kong) – Dir: Sze Pak-lam, Lau Wing-tai
- Pivot (Turkey) – Dir: Melisa Önel
- Republic of Mahalaxmi Apartment (India) – Dir: Niladri Mukherjee
- See You There (China, Hong Kong) – Dir: Wong Yi-kwan
- Seoulers (South Korea, USA) – Dir: Hee Young Pyun, Jiajun Oscar Zhang
- Somatization (China) – Dir: Sun Xiao
- Something in the Way (Hong Kong) – Dir: Fan Ka-chun
- A Stranger at My Door (Hong Kong, China) – Dir: Zheng Lu Xinyuan
- Waves Under the Sea (Macau, Hong Kong, China) – Dir: Chan Sileong
- Yellow (Japan) – Dir: Yamaura Miyoh
The diverse and dynamic lineup underlines HAF’s continued impact on the Asian and global film landscape.