The Future of Asian Arthouse Cinema: Top 10 Films at Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum

Written by Jiexiao Ying 2018.02.10
Translated by Chengzhi 2019.06.12

The article was originally posted on DeepFocus in Chinese. 4257views

In March, Hong Kong is expected to have not only the International Film Festival, but also the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) that takes place at the same time as the festival. On this platform, the film producers exchange and discuss ideas with investors, producers, distributors and festival representatives, to promote the coming into being of excellent films and to increase room for the development of films.

At the end of 2016, HAF launched a brand new WIP Lab (Work-in-Progress Laboratory) to extend HAF’s old platform from financing over pre-production only, all the way to post-production, distribution and promotion campaign at periods of overseas film festivals. Each session will select ten films, and the directors and producers of selected proejct will be able to play a five-minute clip of the film at the lab meetings, to explain the film content, and to answer questions from the investors. Subsequently, WIP Lab will arrange private meetings for investors interested into the projects, producers, distributors, festival representatives to meet with the directors and the producers.

In 2017, the 15th HAF, for the first time, presented results of the selection of the WIP Lab. The selected films came from countries and regions including Israel, Japan, Vietnam, India, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and many of the films have completed its production and distribution, as well as received awards at major film festivals. End of Summer, directed by mainland director Zhou Quan, reached out to Tencent Penguin Pictures to be its production company at the WIP Lab, and then was granted the KNN Award in the New Currents section selected by audiences at the Busan International Film Festival; I’ve Got the Blues, direced by Hong Kong director Chen Anqi, was shortlisted at the Vancouver International Film Festival, and won the Best Documentary Awards at the Festival Film Dokumenter (FFD) in India; Village Rockstars, directed, produced, and photographed by Rima Das from India, tells the story of girls from rural areas beating gender stereotype and chasing their rock “n” roll dreams. It not only won the Golden Gateway Award for best film at the JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, the biggest international film festival in India, but also won the White Light Post-production Award at HAF, and was selected into Hong Kong Goes to Cannes where it got enough exposure.

It’s worth mentioning that HAF became the only partner in Asia for the Cannes International Film Festival in 2017. The world famous film market added a series of events for HAF-Hong Kong Goes to Cannes to itself, bringing four films shortlisted at the WIP Lab to Cannes. Other than Village Rockstars from India, there were also Echoes by Israeli directors Amikam Kovner and Assaf Snir, Omotenashi: The Ceremony directed by Jay Chern from Taiwan and produced by Taiwan and Japan, The Third Wife by the Vietnamese director Nguyễn PhươngAnh. That is to say, films participating the HAFWIP Lab might get the chance to screen in Cannes where they could enjoy abundant film resources and get a fairly high starting point for distribution.

HAF of this year is the second year of the WIP Lab. The finalists embraces more diversity, and a higher proportion of first time directors. Geographically, Russian films have obtained special attention and the Chinese-speaking regions keeps its major status. In the next part of this article, we’ll take a look at the ten projects being finalisted for this year.

The Birth of New Directors

Among the ten finalists, six are first features. These directors with varied cultural backgrounds contribute to the variety in themes and genres.

AGANAI – The Atonement

AGANAI-The Atonement is the first feature by director Atsushi Sakahara from Japan. On the morning of March 20, 1995, the most serious terrorist attack after World War II took place on the Tokyo subway. Several followers from Aum Shinrikyo spread sarin gas that could lead to the nerve system devastation when around 5 trains on 3 subway lines that pass through government departments. The incident caused 13 deaths and more than 6,300 injuries on different level. Sakahara was one of the victims. He always wanted to become a director and decided to confront Aum Shinrikyo with a weapon in the form of documentary. Through a sincere relationship and some in-depth discussions with an administration staff from Aum Shinrikyo, Sakahara made the person aware of the great responsibilities that Aum Shinrikyo bears and questioned the legitimacy of the group as a religion. In his journey of filmmaking and ethical interrogation, Sakahara has overcome a lot of difficulties and finally realized self-salvation.

The production company is the platform where Sakahara practices many of his works, including business information and film production. While doing his job, he was also realizing his dream of making film when he was young and fulfilling his commitment to a deceased friend that he would work hard to become a good director.

The Red Phallus

Bhutanese director Tashi Gyeltshen was a journalist and later learned about filmmaking by himself. In his feature debut The Red Phallus, he borrowed the image of Astara, the red-faced clown who holds penis on Tshechu, the annual religious Bhutanese festivals to discuss madness and civilization, mask and self.

The director was inspired by the blessings of Atasara’s penis he saw over Tshechu. He was wondering what was the person like behind the funny red mask and the weird costume, whether the symbol and sacred meaning carried by the outer shell surpassed the real person behind it, whether the mask became the identity of the person, whether the penis symbol lurks the violence under silence.

Before the film was finalised for HAF, it was funded by the Open Doors Award at Locarno Film Festival in 2016. Production companies of the film inlcude Studio 108, the company that the director founded for the film, Icefall Productions, the company that focuses on the new generation of talents in Nepal and its surrounding areas, and weltfilmGMBH, the company located in Berlin that focuses on creative documentaries and art films that has theatrical release. The latter two are especially good at co-productions.

The Sorcerer

The Panamanian director Félix Guardia’s The Sorcerer is not only a feature debut, but also the only animated film in the finalist. With its fantasy style, subtle narrative, and varied music, the film stands out among all the realistic works.

After studying the works of the great Panamanian print master Julio Zachrisson for more than sixty years, the director and his team extract the characters, conflicts and subtexts from Julio’s works and make them into a new story. The story will be told in animtation. It is about a bull pursuing freedom and taking adventure in Zachrisson’s world. The film combines printmaking techniques and the 2.5D digital animation to bring the traditional paintings to the big screen, trying to connect Zachrisson with the new generation of artists, and it also brings Zachrisson’s concern for human conditions and bizarre perspectives, the Panama style sense of humor, and Latin American culture to more audiences.

The Sorcerer is supervised by the Chilean filmmaker, Tomas Cortés-Rosselot who has made more than 20 short films and video works, including the carton animation La Cucarachita Mandi(2017) which represented Panama on major festivals across Latin America and Europe. Tomas has a special liking for documentaries and experimental images, and The Sorcerer fits just into his temper. The production company, ANIMAL, of which one of the founders is the director of the film, is also committed to pursuing the essence of humanity and the environment in order to create a sense of belongings for Panama. As one of Panama’s leading independent production companies, ANIMAL works with a many artists, foundations and brands to create award-winning projects with low-cost but high-quality.

Unlike the three finalist directors introduced above, “Thirst”, the feature debut of the Bulgarian director Svetla Tsotsorkova was born in the year of 2015 and has premiered at the Sam Sebastian Internationa Film Festival’s New Directors Section and has participated film festivals in more than 60 countries, receiving many honors has been distributed in 15 countries.

Sister

As in the Thirst that has the theme of a small town life, Sister, which is selected to this year’s HAF WIP Lab, is also about the small town. Based on the director’s childhood memories, the film tells how a girl becomes an adult and her sacrifice to maintain humanity. “Sister” explores the imaginary world beyond the boring mundane life, as well as the different life that can go beyond the normal track.

The producer of Sister is Svetla TSOTSORKOVA, whose works have been to a number of film festivals. He was also the producer of Thirst. Omega Films, the production company, is active on festvals, including international festivals such as San Sebastian, Cairo and Busan. It hopes to increase the exposure of the slow-paced, unique stylized small town stories.

The Highlights of Russian Films

This year, there are three finalists from Russia, and they all explore the problems of the society by examining the life and death, the oppression and suppresion among the marginalized group. And in that way, they reflect upon the boundaries of humanity.

The Pencil

The Pencil by the Russian director, Natalya Nazarova, focuses on a teacher who is against the rigid forces of society in the northern part of Russia. The artist Antonina followed her imprisoned husband to settle down in the distant coniferous forest where she found that everyone here in the prison worked in either a prison or a pencil factory and was living a drab life like a pencil on a conveyor belt.So Antonina found the job as an art teacher and decided to use pencil, the simple tool, to inspire students and inspire their oppressed hibernating souls.

Anastasia Lukovnikova, the producer of The Pencil, specializes in developing international projects that explore the diversity of the world and of the people. He has produced the most successful crowdfunding documentary in Russia, Happy People. Altai. The production company of this film is Salt Studio, which has cultivated the new generation of Russian independent directors and Victoria Films, which Natalya, the director, is from. We look forward that The Pencil can start from the simple image of the writing tool, and proceed to uncover the dramatic moments in a teacher’s career, and can thus, bringing reflection on society and questions on humanity.

Ayka

Ayka is the only 35mm film selected. It’s directed by the famous Russian director Sergey Dvortsevoy. Sergey’s Tulpan (2008) was the winner of the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 61st Cannes Film Festival. The director always cares about the living conditions of the people from the lowest class in Russia at the time of transition. “Akya” tells the story of the illegal female labor Akya from the of bottom of social ladder in Moscow. She gives birth to a child after being rape, abandons the child, and finally finds back the child. It presents corruption in power systems, question the underprivileged status of illegal immigrants and the multiple layers of bully that the women from bottom are suffering.

The concern for the underprivileged people in Ayka resonates what China is experiencing over its transition period. That’s also why Beijing Juben Production Company, a company that seeks social impact, decided to invest in a Russian director’s “Akya”. The collaboration between the two can be interpreted as the disappearance of national boundaries in film creation and production under the globalization trend. Transnational money investing projects with great potentials, on one hand, demonstrates the global horizon and the financial resources of media companies in China, on the other hand,also encourages filmmakers who are looking for money as their local projects might attract attention from the foreign investors under globalization.

The Man Who Surprised Everyone

Other than political prisoners’ wife, the illegal female worker, marginalized group also includes the transgender group in The Man Who Surprised Everyone, co-produced by Russia, France and Estonia. Egor, the protagonist, is the honored guard in the Siberian forest, who was diagnosed to be at the last stage of cancer, unfortunately. In order to fool the God of the death who is approaching, he decided to hide his identity by changing gender, just like the hero Zhamba in the ancient Siberian epic. Alexey Chupov and Natalia Merkulova, the directors, tells the fable of man who tries to lie to the God of Death with a transexual identity, with a realistic tone, and through the fable to reveal people’s panic and violence when facing up with things they don’t understand.

Pan-Atlantic Studio, the production company of the film, was founded by Katia Filippova, who is also the producer of the film. She is the only official member from Russia in ACE, an exclusive network of experienced independent film producers from Europe and beyond. She has produced a number of TV series, feature films and documentaries and has won many awards for her works. “Intimate Parts”, the first feature film that Alexey Chupo, the director, and Natalya Merkulov, the producer, collaborated, has won 30 awards and nominations. So we look forward that this film can do just as good as their previous work.

New Faces in Chinese Films

This year, the Chinese-language films selected by HAF WIP Lab, dominates the industry’s expectations for the rising up of Chinese films in the next one or two years. Some of the films have been funded at FIRST where they also got attention.

All About ING

Huang Zi, the director of “All About ING”, used Cantonese, Mandarin, and Zhejiang dialects to present the gloomy tone of daily life with a plain way to narrate. Meanwhile, the director adopts a sophisticated narrative strategy to construct the story with independent perspectives from different family members at different story moments in order to push the story to its peak without intensifying too much of the dramatic conflict.

Although this is Huang Zi’s first feature, his short films in the past has won him many awards. “City” (2013), which was made over Huang Zi’s study at NYU Tisch, was shortlisted for the Angers European First Film Festival and the Beijing Independent Film Festival.”All About ING” was selected for the FIRST project workshop and the 2016 Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum.

Mosaic Portrait

Mosaic Portrait produced by the Blackfin Production was also shortlisted HAF this year. Director Zhai Yixiang told the story through the eye of a frustrated news reporter from city investigating a sexual assault in the suburbs, to talk about multiple binary relationships between city and town, civilisation and barbarism, male and female, hurt and be hurt. The story focuses on the living arena of people, the imbalance of resource allocation, the differences and connections between urban and rural areas, as to have a new understanding of the time and space occupied by each of us. The director believes that any ordinary picture we see is actually made up of countless fuzzy “mosaic” pixels.

The film company Blackfin Production specializes in art house films and documentaries. In the past three years, it has continuously launched successful projects such as Kaili Blues, Knife in Clear Water, and Free and Happy that are award winners at major film festivals. Director Zhai Yixiang has a profound relationship with the Blackfin Production. His feature debut Back to Life (2014) was produced by Blackfin and won the Best Artistic Contribution Award of the FIRST Film Festival in Xining.

Now, Zhai Yixiang’s second feature, Mosaic Portrait, has become another opportunity for the director and the production company to collaborate. The film is procuded by the uprising producer, Wang Zijian and literary consultant Cheng Rui. In 2016, when the script was still at the development stage, the film has won “script development fund” from Hehe Pictures and “Bridging the Dragon Producer’s Special Award”, by the end of 2016, it also won the first million of production money at Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.

Still Man

Still Man is the feature debut from the Hong Kong director Oliver Chan Siu Kuen, that tells the story of two people from the bottom of the society. The director was inspired by her casual glance at a sweet scene in which the man sitting on the wheelchair is smiling with the Philippines girl pushing him. From that moment, she started to reflect upon life of the underprivileged group and, with the help of imagination, she created all the chracters in the film.

Still Man was the winner of the third First Film project in Hong Kong, and awarded with 3.25 million production fund from the Hong Kong government. The film is supervised by Fruit Chan, the well-known Hong Kong director. His previous works Made In Hong Kong and Durian Durian displayed his observations and profound skills on presenting marginalized groups which helped to develop Still Man. The middle-aged protagonist played by Anthony Wong Chau San, also enriched the film a lot.

Be it a first-time director, or a member from the Russian, or an uprising new force of the Chinese-speaking films, they all raised money, found sales agent and teaser buyer, and sought screening opportunities through the platform of WIP Lab. DeepFocus will keep reporting news from HAF which is scheduled to be going from March 18th to 21st and bring the first hand messages on projects selected and live report for our reader.

AGANAI – The Atonement

Country | Japan
Genre | Documentary
Format | Digital Format
Language | Japanese
Length | 90 minutes
Director (also Producer) | Atsushi Sakahara (first feature)
Production Company | Good People Inc
Logline: Atsushi Sakahara, the director is one of the victims of the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack. His ex-wife was also the member of the Aum Shinrikyo. Sakahara will face straight to Aum Shinrikyo in this film.

All About ING

Country | China
Genre | Drama
Format | Digital Format
Language | Cantonese/Mandarin/Zhejiang Dialect
Length | 120 minutes
Director (also producer) | Huang Zi (first feature)
Production Company | Wuxi Huangzi Production StudioLogline: When father gets ill and is approaching death, mother is forced to take the responsibility of taking care of the family, the son, however, wants nothing but an escape. The three tries to life a quiet life but meanwhile, also get lost in it.

Ayka

The Man Who Surprised Everyone

Mosaic Portrait

Country | Mainland China
Genre | Drama
Format | Ditigal Format
Language | Mandarin
Length | 120 minutes
Director | Zhai Yixiang
Producer | Wang Zijian, Cheng Rui
Production Company | Blackfin Production
Logline: A journalist goes into a mountain village to investigate the case of a 14-year-old girl being raped and getting pregnant. In order to find criminal, father has the girl give birth to the children, however, the result goes beyond people’s imagination.

The Pencil

The Red Phallus

Country | Bhutan/Nepal
Genre | Drama
Format | Digital Format
Language | Rdzong Kha
Length | 110 minutes
Director | Tashi GYELTSHEN (first feature)
Producer | Ram Krishna POKHAREL，Tashi GYELTSHEN，Kristina KONRAD
Production Company | Icefall Productions, Studio 108, Welt Film GMBH
Logline: The world breaks into pieces in the silent world. Three lives and an empty milestone. Nowhere to escape. Everything is trapped in the complex world woven by penis and mask.

Sister

The Sorcerer

Still Man

十部影片，勾勒亚洲艺术电影市场的未来

三月份的香港值得期待的不仅有国际电影节，还有同期举办的亚洲电影投资会（Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum，简称HAF）。在这个平台上，电影制作方与投资者、制片人、发行商和电影节代表交流洽谈，促成优秀电影的诞生，开拓电影的发展空间。

2016年末，HAF推出一个崭新的WIP Lab计划（Work-in-Progress Laboratory），将HAF原有的前期融资平台进一步延伸至后期制作、发行及推广至海外电影节的层面。每届选出十个电影计划，入选的导演和制片人将在大会上播放五分钟的电影片段，阐述电影内容，并接受资方提问。随后，WIP Lab安排感兴趣的投资者、制作人、发行商、电影节代表与导演和制作人作深入会谈。

2017年第十五届HAF第一次呈现WIP Lab的选拔结果。入围影片的制片国家和地区包含以色列、日本、越南、印度、中国大陆、香港和台湾，如今不少电影已经完成制作与发行，在各大国际电影节上获奖。大陆导演周全《西小河的夏天》在WIP Lab平台上找到了出品上腾讯企鹅影视，随后在釜山国际电影节获得新浪潮竞赛单元KNN Award观众奖；香港导演陈安琪《水底行走的人》入围温哥华国际电影节，并在印度Dokumenter电影节上后的最佳纪录长片；印度Rima Das担任导演、制片和摄影的《Village Rockstars》讲述农村女孩打破性别偏见、追逐摇滚梦想的故事，不仅获得了印度最大的国际电影节孟买电影节最佳电影金门奖，还在HAF获得White Light后期制作大奖，选入Hong Kong Goes to Cannes，得到了足够的曝光。

值得一提的是HAF在2017年成为戛纳国际电影节唯一的亚洲合作伙伴，在这个全球瞩目的电影市场上增添了HAF-Hong Kong Goes toCannes系列活动，带去了4部入围WIP Lab的电影计划：除了印度《Village Rockstars》，还有以色列导演AmikamKovner和Assaf Snir的《Echoes》，台湾、日本制片陈钰杰导演的《盛情款待》，以及越南导演Nguyễn PhươngAnh《The Third Wife》。也就是说，参与HAFWIP Lab的电影作品可能获得在戛纳的展映机会，享受丰富的电影资源，获得较高的发行起点。

本届HAF是WIP Lab的第二年，入围作品更趋多元，新锐导演比重较高，从地域来看，俄罗斯电影获得瞩目，华语地区势头强劲。接下来，我们来盘点一番入围的十部电影计划。

新锐导演横空出世

入围的十部电影中，六部为导演的首部长片作品，这些来自不同文化背景的导演，贡献了多样的电影题材和类型。
《AGANAI – The Atonement》

《AGANAI-The Atonement》是日本导演阪原淳的长片处女作。1995年3月20日早上，东京地铁发生了二战后最严重的恐怖袭击事件，奥姆真理教的多名教徒在途径政府部门的3条地铁线路的5班列车上，同时散布破坏神经系统的沙林毒气，造成13人死亡，超过6,300人轻重伤。阪原淳是该事件的受害者，一直想要当导演的他，决定以纪录片的形式直面事件背后的奥姆真理教。他通过与该教会团体中一位行政人员的真诚交往和深入讨论，让对方意识到奥姆真理教所负的重大责任，质疑该团体被视为宗教的正当性。在拍摄电影和拷问伦理的过程中，阪原淳克服了诸多困难，实现自我的救赎。

本片的制作方是阪原淳进行多项活动的平台，包括商业资讯和电影制作，他在继续原本从事的职业道路同时，也为实现年少时的电影梦想以及向已故好友兑现成为好导演的承诺而努力。
《The Red Phallus》

不丹导演Tashi Gyeltshen曾是一名记者，后来自学成才，在长片处女作《The Red Phallus》中借用不丹策秋祭典上举着阳具的红脸小丑Astara，探讨疯癫与文明，面具与自身。

导演的灵感来自于参加不丹节庆上Atasara的阳具的祝福，他好奇滑稽的红色面具和怪异的戏服背后是怎样的人，外壳所承载的象征和神圣意义是否超越背后的真人，面具是否成为了人的身份，阳具符号是否潜藏着沉默与寂静之下的暴力。

本片在入围HAF之前，受到2016年年洛迦诺电影节Open Doors Award的项目扶植拍摄。制作公司除了导演本人为此片创立的Studio 108工作室以外，还有关注尼泊尔及周边新生代人才的Icefall Productions，以及位于德国柏林关注创意纪录片和院线艺术电影的weltfilmGMBH，后两者都擅长联合制片。

巴拿马导演Félix Guardia的《The Sorcerer》不仅是长片处女作，还是入围作品中唯一的动画类电影。电影凭借奇幻的风格，无言的叙事，多变的音乐，在众多写实的作品中独树一帜。
《The Sorcerer》

导演团队在深度研究巴拿马版画大师Julio Zachrisson六十余年的作品之后，将其中的角色、冲突和潜台词提炼出新的故事，以动画的形式讲述一头公牛在Zachrisson宇宙一场追寻自由的冒险。这部电影融合了版画技术和2.5D数码动画，让传统画作跃上银幕，试图连接Zachrisson和新生代艺术家的桥梁，把Zachrisson对人类境况的关注和奇异的视角，巴拿马式幽默，以及拉丁美洲文化带给更多的观众。

《The Sorcerer》的监制是智利籍电影制作人Tomas Cortés-Rosselot，有超过20部短片和影像作品，包括代表巴拿马参加拉美及欧洲各大电影节的纸盒动画《La Cucarachita Mandi》（2017）。Tomas对于纪录片和实验影像情有独钟，与奇幻的《The Sorcerer》正对脾气。导演作为创始成员之一的制作公司ANIMAL也致力于追寻人类和环境的本质，建立巴拿马的文化归属感。作为巴拿马顶尖的独立电影制作公司之一，ANIMAL与诸多艺术家、基金会及品牌合作，创作低成本高质量的获奖项目。

与之前介绍的三位入围导演不同，来自保加利亚的Svetla Tsotsorkova的长片处女作《Thirst》诞生于2015年，在塞巴斯蒂安电影节新导演竞赛单元全球首映，参加了60多个国际电影节，获得诸多荣誉，在15个国家发行。
《Sister》

延续《Thirst》对小镇生活的关注，入围今年HAF WIP Lab的《Sister》也是一个小镇的故事。基于导演的童年谎言，电影讲述一个女孩怎么变成大人，以及维护人性所做的牺牲。《Sister》探入无聊日常之外的想象世界，以及超出常轨的别样生活。

《Sister》的监制是Svetla TSOTSORKOVA，他个人的作品参加了诸多电影节，他也曾监制《Thirst》。制片公司Omega Films积极关注电影节平台，包括塞巴斯蒂安、开罗、釜山等国际电影节，为节奏缓慢、风格独特的小镇故事增加曝光度。

战斗民族高调亮相

本届有三部入围作品来自俄罗斯，不约而同地从边缘人群的生存与死亡、压迫与反抗中，探究社会的症结，反思人性的边界。

俄罗斯导演Natalya Nazarova的《The Pencil》聚焦俄罗斯北部一名对抗社会僵化力量的教师。艺术家Antonina追随入狱的丈夫到遥远的针叶林定居，发现当地所有人在监狱或者铅笔厂工作，过着像传送带上的铅笔一般单调的生活，于是Antonina找到一份艺术教师的工作，决定用铅笔这一简单的工具来启发学生，振奋这些冬眠的受压迫的灵魂。
《The Pencil》

《The Pencil》的监制Anastasia Lukovnikova擅长开发探讨世界及人群多样性的国际项目，曾制作俄罗斯最成功的众筹纪录片《Happy People. Altai》，本片的制作公司则是孕育了俄罗斯新生代独立导演的Salt Studio, 以及导演Natalya所在的公司Victoria Films。我们期待《The Pencil》从铅笔这个简单朴素的影像出发，揭开教师职业的戏剧性时刻，带来社会的反思和人性的扣问.

《小家伙》是唯一一部35mm格式的电影，由俄罗斯著名导演Sergey Dvortsevoy执。他的《图班嫁给我》（2008）曾获得了第61届戛纳影展“一种关注”大奖和最佳导演奖。导演始终关注处于转型期的俄罗斯底层人民的生存状态。《小家伙》讲述的是莫斯科底层非法女劳工艾卡，被强奸之后生下孩子、抛弃孩子、又最终找回孩子的故事，呈现都市浮华之下的权力勾结和系统腐坏，反思非法移民的弱势地位，底层女性所受到的多重欺压。
《小家伙》

《小家伙》对俄罗斯底层的关怀，在同处转型期的中国引起共鸣。寻求具有社会影响力的聚本文化传媒有限公司与俄罗斯著名导演的《小家伙》一拍即合。可见全球化趋势下，电影创作和生产渐渐打破了国别的界限。跨国资金向优质项目投去橄榄枝，一方面彰显了我国传媒公司的全球视野和雄厚财力，另一方面也给寻求融资的本国创作者带来鼓舞，即本土优质项目也可以在全球化趋势中吸引国外投资者的关注。

边缘人群除了政治犯的妻子，非法女劳工之外，俄罗斯联合法国、爱沙尼亚制片的《The Man Who Surprised Everyone》还涉及跨性别人群。电影主人公Egor是西伯利亚森林受人爱戴的守卫，不幸被确诊为癌症末期，为了愚弄即将到来的死神，他像古老的西伯利亚史诗中的英雄Zhamba一样，决定以变性的方式改变自己的身份。导演Alexey Chupov与Natalia Merkulova以写实口吻诉说一位男子通过变性欺骗死神的寓言，揭示人们面对不理解事物时的恐慌和暴行。
《The Man Who Surprised Everyone》

本片的制作公司Pan-Atlantic Studio由Katia Filippova创立，Katia也是本片的制作人，她是欧洲兼职协会ACE 2013年唯一来自俄罗斯的官方成员，制作了多部电视剧、长片电影和纪录片，获得诸多荣誉。导演Alexey Chupov与Natalya Merkulova合作的首部长片《Intimate Parts》获得了30个奖项和提名，我们期待这部电影同样能带来傲人的成绩。

华语电影新势力

本届HAF WIP Lab入围的华语影片构成了行业对于未来一两年华语文艺新片的期待。这些电影计划有的曾在FIRST创投会获得资助，吸引了众人目光。

《慕伶，一鸣，伟明》的导演黄梓采用了粤语、普通话、浙江方言，以平实的叙述方式呈现灰色调的日常生活。同时，导演采用精巧的叙述策略，利用不同时间节点不同家庭成员的独立视点串连起整个故事，尝试在避免增强戏剧冲突的前提下，将故事推向高潮。
《慕伶，一鸣，伟明》

尽管这是导演黄梓的首部长片作品，但是他过去曾凭借短片获奖。在纽约大学艺术学院创作的《彼岸》（2013）入围法国昂热电影节、北京独立影像展。如今入围的《慕伶，一鸣，伟明》曾入选西宁FIRST创投会以及2016年香港亚洲电影投资会。

黑鳍传媒出品的《马赛克少女》也成功入围，导演翟义祥通过一位都市受挫的新闻记者与一起乡野发生的性侵事件，讲述城市与乡村、文明与野蛮、男性与女性、伤害与被伤害的多重二元关系。故事聚焦人的生存空间，资源分配的不均衡，城乡的差异和联系，重新理解我们每个人所占据的时空。导演认为，我们所看到的普通一张图，其实是由无数个模糊的“马赛克”像素拼贴而成。
《马赛克少女》

制片公司黑鳍传媒主攻艺术电影和纪录片，三年来不断推出包括《路边野餐》《清水里的刀子》《轻松+愉快》等斩获各大电影节奖项的优秀影片。导演翟义祥的与黑鳍传媒渊源颇深，他的长片处女作《还俗》（2014）由黑鳍制片，获得了西宁FIRST青年电影展最佳艺术贡献奖。

如今翟义祥的第二部长片作品《马赛克少女》成为双方再度合作的契机，新锐制片人王子剑和文学策划程睿担任制片。2016年，尚在剧本阶段的《马赛克少女》就获得了FIRST创投“和和影业剧本发展金”和“龙跃制片人特别奖”，2016年末该片又获得金马创投“百万首奖”，2018年的成绩值得我们期待。
《沦落人》

香港陈小娟执导的入围作品《沦落人》是她的长片处女作，讲述了两个底层人的故事。导演基于日常瞥见的甜蜜一幕，轮椅上的中年男人和轮椅后方脚踏上的菲律宾女生的微笑，开始反思弱势群体的生活，辅以想象，塑造了电影中的主角。

《沦落人》曾在第三届“首部剧情电影计划（大专组）”胜出，获得创意香港政府机构325万港币的资助。该片由香港著名导演陈果监制，他的代表作《香港制造》《榴莲飘飘》体现了他观察和表现俗世“沦落人”的功底，在深化本片题材方面多有帮助。黄秋生饰演的剧中主角中年男子为影片增色不少。

无论是横空出世的新锐导演，高调亮相的战斗民族，还是令人瞩目的华语电影新势力，都将在WIP Lab的平台上寻求资金筹集、卖片代理、片花买家与电影节放映机会。深焦DeepFocus将持续关注将于3月18日至21日举行的香港亚洲电影投资会（HAF），为大家带来第一时间的入围项目盘点和现场报道。

电影计划 | A
AGANAI – The Atonement

国家 | 日本

类型 | 纪录片

格式 | Digital Format

语言 | 日文

片长 | 90分钟

导演（兼监制） | 阪原淳（首部长片作品）

制作公司 | Good People Inc

故事简介：导演阪原淳是1995年沙林毒气事件的受害者，前妻也是该邪教团体成员，他将在自己第一部纪录片中直面这一邪教团体。
电影计划 | B
慕伶，一鸣，伟明

国家 | 中国大陆

类型 | 剧情

格式 | Digital Format

语言 | 粤语、普通话、浙江方言

片长 | 120分钟

导演（兼监制） | 黄梓（首部长片作品）

制作公司 | 无锡黄梓影视工作室

故事简介：父亲患病生命垂危，母亲被迫扛起家庭重担，儿子却渴望逃脱。努力平静度日的三人，迷失在生活中。
电影计划 | C
小家伙

国家 | 俄罗斯

类型 | 剧情

格式 | 35mm

语言 | 俄语

片长 | 100分钟

导演 | Sergey DVORTSEVOY

监制 | 朱力

制作公司 | 北京聚本文化传媒有限公司

故事简介：一名叫艾卡的莫斯科非法女劳工诞下、抛弃、最终试图找回自己孩子的故事。
电影计划 | D
The Man Who Surprised Everyone

国家 | 俄罗斯、法国、爱沙尼亚

类型 | 剧情

格式 | Digital Format

语言 | 俄语

片长 | 120分钟

导演 | Alexey CHUPOV，Natalia MERKULOVA

监制 | Katia FILIPPOVA

制作公司 | Pan-Atlantic Studio

故事简介：在一个遥远的西伯利亚村庄里，一名男子为了治好自己的病，决定孤注一掷去变性。
电影计划 | E
马赛克少女

国家 | 中国大陆

类型 | 剧情

格式 | Digital Format

语言 | 普通话

片长 | 120分钟

导演 | 翟义祥

监制 | 王子剑，程睿

制作公司 | 黑鳍传媒

故事简介：一名记者去山村调查一个14岁少女被性侵怀孕的案件。为了查出真凶，父亲让少女生子查验DNA，结果超出众人想象。
电影计划 | F
The Pencil

国家 | 俄罗斯

类型 | 剧情

格式 | Digital Format

语言 | 俄语

片长 | 90分钟

导演 | Natalya NAZAROVA

监制 | Anastasia LUKOVNIKOVA

制作公司 | Salt Studio

故事简介：丈夫被捕后，Antonina跟随他来到俄罗斯北部。她想要带来改变的愿望却引发了当地帮派头目的冲突。
电影计划 | G
The Red Phallus

国家 | 不丹、尼泊尔

类型 | 剧情

格式 | Digital Format

语言 | 宗喀语

片长 | 110分钟

导演 | Tashi GYELTSHEN（首部长片作品）

监制 | Ram Krishna POKHAREL，Tashi GYELTSHEN，Kristina KONRAD

制作公司 | Icefall Productions, Studio 108, Welt Film GMBH

故事简介：事物在寂静的疯癫中支离破碎。三条生命和一块空白里程碑。无处可去。一切都被困在由阳具和面具构成的错综复杂的世界里。
电影计划 | H
Sister

国家 | 保加利亚

类型 | 剧情

格式 | Digital Format

语言 | 保加利亚语

片长 | 90分钟

导演 | Svetla TSOTSORKOVA

监制 | Svetoslav OVTCHAROV

制作公司 | Omega Films

故事简介：一个少女的谎言摧毁了姐姐的世界。在弥补自己所作所为的过程中，她发现了关于母亲的真相。
电影计划 | I
The Sorcerer

国家 | 巴拿马共和国

类型 | 动作、动画

格式 | Digital Format

语言 | 英语、西班牙语

片长 | 70分钟

导演 | Félix GUARDIA（首部长片作品）

监制 | Tomás CORTÉS ROSSELOT

制作公司 | ANIMAL

故事简介：在版画大师Julio Zachrisson的荒诞超现实宇宙中进行一次疯狂的旅程。
电影计划 | J
沦落人

国家 | 中国香港

类型 | 剧情

格式 | Digital Format

语言 | 粤语

片长 | 100分钟

导演 | 陈小娟（首部长片作品）

监制 | 陈果

制作公司 | 无际电影制作有限公司

故事简介：一个对人生没有期望的瘫痪中年男子把和一个把梦想埋藏起来的年轻菲佣相遇相知相惜。

无论是横空出世的新锐导演，高调亮相的战斗民族，还是令人瞩目的华语电影新势力，都将在WIP Lab的平台上寻求资金筹集、卖片代理、片花买家与电影节放映机会。深焦将持续关注HAF，带来第一时间的入围项目盘点和现场报道。

-FIN-

本文系网易新闻·网易号“各有态度”特色内容

Vivian Ying

Arthouse Film Distributor, Bilingual Film Critic, Cinephile Community Builder

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The Birth of New Directors

The Highlights of Russian Films

New Faces in Chinese Films

十部影片，勾勒亚洲艺术电影市场的未来

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