Nina Wu 灼人秘密

After eight years toiling in bit-parts, aspiring actress Nina Wu finally gets her big break with a leading role in a spy thriller set in the 1960s. The part is challenging, not least because it calls for full nudity and explicit sex scenes, and the film’s director is often hard on her. But both the industry and the press are confident that the results are sensationally good. On the brink of triumph, though,Nina’s psychological resolve begins to crack. She rushes back to her family home to deal with two crises: her father’s business has gone bankrupt and her mother had suffered a heart attack. She dreams of rekindling a close relationship with her childhood friend Kiki but is haunted by paranoid fantasies that a mysterious woman is stalking and attacking her. As Nina clings to memories of happier times, it seems that there is one crucial memory that she is repressing…?

Sell Out

Rafflesia Pong is a bottom-ranking arts show host who’s disillusioned with “those over-rated underachievers we call artists. Eric Tan, a product designer who’s just about to learn that it doesn’t pay to be creative. They both work for FONY, a multinational conglomerate whose mission statement, copied from a Taiwanese company, is to be original. In the face of such pressure, while Eric and Rafflesia retain their artistic integrator will they finally sell out to fame, fortune or some other nasty thing that also starts with “F”?

The Tiger Factory虎廠

19-year-old Ping works in a pig farm and cleans dishes in a rundown restaurant, but longs to go to Japan to work in a car parts company. She is under the guardian of her aunt, Madame Tien, who shuffles her between her two jobs. Tien is also involved in a secret “baby factory” scheme, pairing young women with illegal migrant workers and then selling the babies for money. In need of funds to fulfill her dream, she decides to go through with her aunt’s scheme. The two women survive with each other in a symbiotic love-hate manner, until the true nature of her aunt is revealed to Ping.

Talentime

The tale of three different families are strung together when a music teacher decides to organise an inter-school talent competition. Melur, who comes from a Eurasian family is one of the finalists of the Talentime competition. The sweet 16-year-old who possesses a melodious voice is taken by the charm of Mahesh, a hearing impaired schoolmate who is selected to take her to rehearsals. Tragedy strikes Mahesh’s family when his uncle, who is also the caretaker of his family is stabbed to death on his wedding night. One of the other finalist in the talent competition is Hafiz, a cheeky but brilliant student that divides his time between school, and his sick mother in the hospital who suffers from brain tumor. By the critically acclaimed director, Yasmin Ahmad, Talentime explores the idea behind how the pain and suffering that we go through enables us to reach greater heights. The last of her silver screen legacy that Ahmad had left behind.

The Baggage

The Baggage tells the story of an OFW, Mercy Agbunag. As the whole family celebrates her homecoming, NBI agents appear on the doorstep inviting Mercy to join them for an investigation of a case about a newborn child being thrown into a trash bin of an airplane toilet, and she is believed to be a suspect. As Mercy undergoes a rigid examination of testimonies and evidences, she is turned over to different social entities – police, hospital, shelter, media, church, and bureaucrats. What unfolds is the whole truth behind a mother who got abused, and the measures in which she is taken care of by her motherland.

Last Letter 你好，之华

There are fidgety encounters, like there are uncomplicated goodbyes. All Yuen Chi Nam left behind on the morning of her departure from the physical world was a letter and an invitation to a school reunion. Attending the reunion in lieu of her late elder sister, Chi Wah accidentally ran into Wan Chuen, her crush of her youth. And thus began Chi Wah’s letter correspondences to Wan Chuen, without leaving a return address, relaying all and sundry about her daily life, akin to a walk down the memory lane to the times of her youth where something was amiss. What Chi Wah did not expect was the misunderstanding this correspondence would cause her husband, followed by their disconcerting marital relation. The letters sent by Wan Chuen to what he remembered to be Chi Nam’s home address landed in the hands of her daughter, who continued the correspondence in search of the bits and pieces of her mother’s youth. As old memories are evoked to a present time of reshuffled relationships, as correspondences travel through different contexts and times, unveiled was the intricate story among the trio, compelling them to make peace with the remorse and heartbreak of the past to restore peace of mind.

A Family Tour自由行

The Mother of One Recluse was the work of Chinese film director Yang Shu. She made the film five years ago, and in doing so offended the Chinese government. Since then, she has been forced to remain in exile in Hong Kong. Her mother in Sichuan has had a relapse of her stomach cancer from years ago, and needs to undergo an operation imminently. She wishes to see her daughter and the family, having only known her grandson via online chats. Therefore, Yang Shu takes the opportunity of a film festival event in Taiwan to go with her husband and son to meet her mother, whom they have arranged to cross paths while her mother is there on a mainland company leisure tour. To ensure this family reunion can take place under the strict itinerary of the Chinese tour company, the young family checks into the same hotel and follows the tour group to the various scenic spots they visit.

Manto 芒多传

The film follows the most tumultuous four years in the life of Manto (1946 – 1950) and that of the two countries he inhabits – India and Pakistan. In Bombay’s seedy-shiny film world, Manto and his stories are widely read and accepted. But as sectarian violence engulfs the nation, Manto makes the difficult choice of leaving his beloved Bombay. In Lahore, he finds himself bereft of friends and unable to find takers for his writings. His increasing alcoholism leads him into a downward spiral. Through all of this, he continues to write prolifically, without dilution. This is the tale of two emerging nations, two faltering cities, and one man who tries to make sense of it all.

Xiao Mei小美

This is a story about finding Xiao Mei. Xiao Mei is missing. The interviews and memories of nine individuals who all had connections with her gradually piece together the puzzles of her life. None of them knows where Xiao Mei has gone, but all they want is for her to be all right, so everything will be all right. Featuring the unique voice of Huang Hsin-Yao, director of critically acclaimed The Great Buddha+, Xiao Mei offers a glimpse of a wandering girl’s troubled life.

Your Face你的脸

As I searched the streets of Taipei for faces to film,
some verses began to appear in my mind.
I wrote them down:

There is some light, there is a story.
Your face tells of the passage of time and places you have journeyed.
In your eyes, there is a tinge of confusion and sadness.

There is some light, there is a story.
Your face tells of love and the places it hides in.
In your eyes, there is a sparkle and some darkness.

No. 1 Chung Ying Street中英街1号

Set against the backdrop of the 1967 anti-British riot, No.1 Chung Ying Street looks to both the past and the future of Hong Kong. Divided into two parts, the story first follows four youngsters who are caught up in the large-scale riot between the pro-communist left wingers and the British colonial government. Fast forward 50 years, the second part takes place along the frontier border town Sha Tau Kok. It is here three Hong Kong freedom fighters cross paths with an old man from the 1967 riot. Sha Tau Kok is a border zone between Hong Kong and China. As it is a frontier closed area, a valid permit is required for anyone to enter it.

High Flash引爆点

Fisherman Ah-Hai is found dead of self-immolation during a large-scale protest against TL Petrochemical. The incident, led by newly-elected County Mayor Chen, instantly makes to media headlines. Ah-Hai is praised as a martyr and TL Petrochemical is ordered by the authority to suspend all operation pending further investigation. Medical examiner Chou is assigned to work on the case with Public prosecutor Kim who happens to be Chou’s former fiancés. Chou discovers suspicious evidences in the autopsy and concludes Ah-Hai did not commit suicide. Kim, with her own agendas, also finds new leads hinting a major conspiracy. Still have feelings about Kim, Chou decide to start his own investigation in order to protect her, despite breaking protocol and going against Kim’s wishes. The two work in different directions but the complications of the case and their past start to intertwine. As the truth slowly uncovers, danger follows close behind…

PK

P. K. is a comedy of ideas about a stranger in the city, who asks questions that no one has asked before. They are innocent, child-like questions, but they bring about catastrophic answers. People who are set in their ways for generations, are forced to reappraise their world when they see it from PK’s innocent eyes. In the process PK makes loyal friends and powerful foes. Mends broken lives and angers the establishment. P. K.’s childlike curiosity transforms into a spiritual odyssey for him and millions of others. The film is an ambitious and uniquely original exploration of complex philosophies. It is also a simple and humane tale of love, laughter and letting-go. Finally, it is a moving saga about a friendship between strangers from worlds apart.

3 Idiots三傻大闹宝莱坞

Two friends embark on a quest for a lost buddy. On this journey, they encounter a long forgotten bet, a wedding they must crash, and a funeral that goes, ridiculously out of control. As they make their way through the perilous landscape, another journey begins: their inner journey through memory lane and the story of their friend — the impressible free-thinker Rancho, who is in unique way, touched and changed their lives. It’s a story of their hostel days that swings between Rancho’s romance with the spirited Pia, and his clash with an oppressive mentor, Viru Sahastrabudhhe. And then one day, suddenly, Rancho vanished. Who was he? Where did he come from? Why did he leave? The friend who influenced and inspired them to think creatively and independently, even as the conformist world called them “three idiots.” Where is the original idiot now? Finally, in misty mountains of unparalleled beauty, the friends find the key to the secret.

Memories of Murder杀人回忆

In a small town outside Seoul, over the course of six years 10 women were raped and murdered in a 2 km radius. Korean society’s first serial killer took the lives of 10 victims, ranging from a 71 year-old grandmother to a 13 year old schoolgirl. As time went on, the methods of the killer grew more bold and well-planned. One victim was stabbed 19 times in the chest, while another victim was found with nine pieces of a peach embedded inside her. Other than the victims, the killer left not a single shred of evidence. Over 3,000 suspects were interrogated. At least 300,000 police took part in the massive investigation. But not a single person was indicted for the crimes.

27 Steps of May梅的二十七不走

Loosely based on the mass rapes of Chinese Indonesian women during the May 1998 riots in Indonesia, this film tells the story of May (14) who was gang-raped 8 years ago. Traumatized by the event, May imprisons herself in her father’s house, blocking out all emotions by constructing a protective bubble around her. While May lives her life in silence, without contact or emotions, her father is trapped by guilt, devastated that he failed to keep her safe. With May, he is tender and gentle. He will sacrifice anything for her. But in the boxing ring, he fights to channel all his anger and guilt. After 8 years, a magician creates a small crack in May’s protective wall. He stirs May’s sense of wonder and in doing so awakens her once lost emotions. Eventually May faces her trauma and frees herself from her crippling past.

Ode To Nothing无物之颂

Sonya is an old maid stuck in a town that long ceased to recognize her existence but only until one fateful morning when a mysterious corpse arrives at the footsteps of their family owned funeral shop. Bringing forth strange luck and fortune, Sonya instantly gets drawn to the corpse’s mystique, reinvigorating not only her life but also that of her father Mang Rudy. But luck would eventually dry up, provoking further distress back to Sonya’s life. She faces the reality that her existence is nothing more than that of the corpse, at the tail end of its mortality staring life wither away.

A Land Imagined幻土

Set in industrial Singapore, police investigator Lok must find missing migrant worker Wang. Wang suffers a worksite accident and is anxious about repatriation. Unable to sleep, Wang starts frequenting a dreamy cybercafé in the dead of the night. Hoping to look for some form of human connection in this foreign land he feels alienated from, Wang forms a virtual friendship with a mysterious gamer that takes a sinister turn. When Wang suddenly disappears, Lok digs deep into the trail leading to a land reclamation site, in order to uncover the truth beneath all that sand.

Liway

Dakip is a little boy who lives with his parents – Day and Ric – inside Camp Delgado, a makeshift prison inside a military camp for both rebels and criminals during the Marcos Regime when the Philippines was under Martial Law. Day does her best to shelter the child from the harsh realities of prison life. She tells fantastic stories about an enchantress names Liway. She sings him songs and plays with his imagination to shield her boy from trauma.

Axing解雇

The story of an addicted woman Mahsa who thinks that her girl is dead but when finds out that she is alive and lives by her father (Mahsa’s ex-husband), she decides to take her back. This put her to face her ex-husband and his new wife.

Our Struggles我们的战役

Olivier does the best he can to fight injustice at work. But from one day to the next, when his wife Laura abandons the family home, he is left alone to juggle between the children’s needs, life’s daily challenges and his job. Faced with these new responsibilities, he struggles to find a balance. Because Laura’s not coming back.

Still Human 淪落人

A paralyzed and hopeless divorce, Cheong-Wing is in need of a caretaker. He meets his new live-in Filipino domestic helper, Evelyn, who has put her dream on hold to come to Hong Kong to earn a living. Living under the same roof, these two strangers develop an unlikely relationship. As they get to learn more about each other, they also rediscover themselves – Cheong-Wing begins to reconnect with his estranged son; Evelyn reignites her dream of being a photographer. Together, they help each other through ups and downs, twists and turns, love and loss and experience the different seasons of life. Just when they think they have lost all hope, little do they know, life still has a lot to offer.

My Dear Friend 好友

A young city girl named Jingjing was looking for her disappeared boyfriend in his hometown. Instead, she found her boyfriend’s grandparents, Shuimu and A-Fang stuck in a remote village. Accidentally, Jingjing reveals a mysterious relationship of 60 years. Jingjing found that Shuimu kept a secret friend called Zhongsheng who was mute and lost his memory of childhood. Zhongsheng has a feeling that he would be gone soon, and asked Shuimu to prepare some funeral supplies for him. He is afraid that he would become a lost ghost “down there”. Shuimu asked for Jingjing’s help to find Zhongsheng’s true identity in an-other remote village 300km away. On the road trip, the three are immersed in foggy spaces and times.

Hat-Trick帽子戏法

It is midnight. Getting back from a party with his wife and two friends, Farzad hits something by his car. No one sees anything! After a long discussion, all confused and frightened, they leave the scene to one of the friend’s house to think it over and do the right thing. But primary talks about the accident are soon replaced by discussions about hidden secrets.

House of Hummingbird 我们与爱的距离

Set against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding Seoul in 1994, a lonely 14-year-old Eun-hee moves through life like a hummingbird searching for a taste of sweetness wherever she may find it. Deprived of attention from her family, she roams the neighborhood with her best friend, attempts romantic relationships with both girls and boys alike and is sent to the hospital with an unclear diagnosis. When Young-ji, a new teacher, arrives, she becomes the first adult Eun-hee feels really understands her.