Organisers at the Golden Horse Film Festival announced today that the 2015 edition will open with the world premiere of Distance, the first project produced by Singapore production company Giraffe Pictures.
Distance is led by Anthony Chen, Cannes Camera d’Or awardee and winner of 4 Golden Horse Awards for his feature film Ilo Ilo, serving as Executive Producer, and is helmed by three young award-winning directors: Xin Yukun (China), Tan Shijie (Singapore), and Sivaroj Kongsakul (Thailand).
Their previous works include Xin’s debut feature film The Coffin in the Mountain which screened at the Venice Critics’ Week and received two Golden Horse Awards nominations last year. Kongsakul’s debut feature film Eternity won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2010, while Tan’s short film Not Working Today won the Best Singapore Short at the 25th Singapore International Festival. Tan’s previous short film For Two competed at the 66th Venice Film Festival. He is currently developing his first feature film with Giraffe Pictures.
Chen said: “It is a great honour for Distance to be chosen to open the festival. I am excited to be able to return to Golden Horse to present the film. This serves as a wonderful encouragement and affirmation for our three young talented directors. The film is very unique in that it combines creative voices from different parts of Asia, sparking and bringing forward new ideas. We really look forward to sharing this collective vision with the Taiwanese audience.”
Distance stars Taiwanese actor Chen Bolin (Blue Gate Crossing, Buddha Mountain, The Continent) in a career-defining role. He plays three different characters in the film shot across Singapore, Taiwan, Mainland China and Thailand.
The film also features performances by a strong supporting cast including Hong Kong veteran actor Paul Chun, famed Chinese actress Jiang Wenli, and Taiwanese heartthrob Yo Yang in his most surprising and challenging role yet.
Other projects in development on Giraffe Pictures’ slate include Kirsten Tan’s debut feature Popeye, with E&W Films, set to begin production in the first quarter of 2016, and Anthony Chen’s next Asian project.
Here’s the teaser trailer of Distance:
