25 Exciting New Projects at HAF 2008
The Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) has announced its 2008 selection of 25 Asian film projects. The co-production market aims to bring together regional filmmakers and international financiers in its continuing effort to facilitate co-productions and co-ventures. The 2008 event will see returning veterans and emerging filmmakers from across Asia sharing the spotlight.

Now in its 6th edition, the pivotal co-production market for Asian films has always been a magnet to world-renowned, as well as fledgling, filmmakers. HAF 2008 features directors such as Nakata Hideo (Japan), the internationally acclaimed director of the Ring series, who also helmed the Hollywood remake of Ring 2; Park Chan-wook of Old Boy (Korea), winner of the Jury Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004; 2003 Silver Bear Award winner, Li Yang (Chinese Mainland), director of Blind Shaft and Blind Mountain; Cai Shangjun (Chinese Mainland), whose debut feature The Red Awn won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2007 Pusan International Film Festival; and Brillante Mendoza (The Philippines), who garnered international attention with his Foster Child at Cannes, Directors' Fortnight, in 2007. From the host territory of Hong Kong come three of its new generation of auteurs, Pang Ho-cheung (Isabella, Exodus), Alexi Tan (Blood Brothers) and Carol Lai Miu-suet (Naraka 19, Floating Landscape).

Japanese director Nakata Hideo expressed his enthusiasm: "I am very honored to have my project selected for HAF. This is my first time participating in the forum, I am excited about the opportunities." "The real delight in filmmaking is the encounter with people," Otani Kentaro, fellow Japanese director added, "I'm looking forward to the encounters at HAF."

"I want to thank HAF for its continued support and recognition of my work". Li Yang from Mainland China, appreciative of his new project being selected for the financing forum, stated, "HAF is the best platform for Chinese directors to showcase themselves to the West, as well as an excellent conduit for international filmmakers to enter China."

HAF Committee Welcomes Another Electrifying Line-up
HAF Director Jacob Wong is thrilled with the chosen projects. "Again we are able to present 25 amazing projects for HAF 2008, especially with those coming from filmmakers such as Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho from South Korea, Nakata Hideo from Japan, and Ning Hao from the Chinese Mainland… really talented people reaching new heights of their creative power."

Dr. Philip Lee, associate producer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and most recently, Batman - The Dark Knight, and HAF Reading Committee member, concurred. "We have some very good projects this year; particularly those from Japan and Korea. I think they are viable projects with great stories." While the Co-Chairman of Fortissimo Film Sales, Mr. Wouter Barendrecht stated that "The projects submitted to HAF 2008 were of an extremely high standard and we had to reject a number of very high quality projects unfortunately. The selection is very exciting and a great balance of newcomers and more established filmmakers from all over the region. If this sets the tone for the films to come in 2008/2009, Asian cinema is flourishing."

HAF Alumni Shine Internationally
A number of HAF 2007 projects has recently completed production. Kim Jee-woon's The Good, the Bad, the Weird, which stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung, is scheduled for release in South Korea in June 2008, while Kurosawa Kiyoshi's Tokyo Sonata (tentative title) wrapped principal photography in December 2007. Clara Law's The Messenger, starring Guy Pearce and Radha Mitchell, will go into production in July 2008. Several projects nearing completion are Lu Chuan's Nanking! Nanking!, Ning Hao's Silver Medalist (originally titled Red Bicycle) and The Coffin directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham. Yu Lik Wai's Plastic City, which will start shooting in San Paolo, Brazil in February 2008, is co-produced by Xstream Pictures (Mainland China/Hong Kong), Brazil's Gullane Filmes, Hong Kong's Sundream Pictures and Japan's Bitters End, with Japan's Odagiri Joe and Chinese mainland's Huang Yu in the lead.

HAF has supported and seen to fruition projects of outstanding filmmakers such as Lost in Beijing by Li Yu, which premiered in competition at the 2007 Berlinale and collected an Honorable Mention for its script at the Tribeca Film Festival; Zhang Yang's Getting Home (a.k.a. Air), winner of the Ecumenical Jury Prize in Berlin; Lee Kang-sheng's Help me Eros, which opened in competition at the 2007 Venice Film Festival while The Most Distant Course (aka Longest Distance) by compatriot Lin Chin-je, walked away with the Critics' Week Award at Venice. In addition, Kumakiri Kazuyoshi's Freesia premiered in Rotterdam in 2007, and The Drummer by Kenneth Bi became the first Hong Kong film selected for competition at the Sundance Film Festival.

Organized by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) and co-organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Hong Kong, Kowloon & New Territories Motion Picture Industry Association Ltd. (MPIA), the Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) will be held from March 17 to 19, 2008 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Running concurrently will be sister events the Asian Film Awards on March 17^th and Filmart, from March 17 to 20, 2008.

For a complete listing of all 25 projects selected for HAF 2008, please refer to the below listing or visit: www.haf.org.hk .

For media enquiries, please contact Mr. Derek Leung at derek_leung@hkiff.org.hk or +852 2102 7331.

Listing of all 25 projects selected for HAF 2008   1. 7 Dreams 七宗夢 Chinese mainland 中國內地 Director 導演： NING Hao 寧浩 Producer 監製： NING Hao 寧浩 Production Company 製作公司： Injo Film 東陽映月影視文化傳播有限公司   2. Adrift Time 漂流的年代 Chinese mainland 中國內地 Director 導演： CAI Shangjun 蔡尚君 Producer 監製： LEE Xudong 李旭東 Production Company 製作公司： Xiudong Hao Ye Investment & Consulting Ltd. 北京秀東浩業投資咨詢有限公司   3. Best Draw, The (tentative title) 上上 (暫名) Taiwan 台灣 Director 導演： HOU Chi-jan 侯季然, SHEN Ko-shang 沈可尚, WU Mi-sen 吳米森 Producers 監製： Khan LEE 李崗 Production Company 製作公司： Khan Entertainment 崗華影視傳播有限公司   4. Bloodline United Kingdom / Hong Kong 英國 / 香港 Director 導演： Richard JOBSON Producer 監製： Luc ROEG, Jacky PANG 彭綺華 Production Company 製作公司： Independent Film Co. / Jettone Films Production 澤東製作有限公司   5. Bus, The 公車 Hong Kong 香港 Director 導演： PANG Ho-cheung 彭浩翔 Producer 監製： PANG Ho-cheung 彭浩翔, Subi LIANG Qi-yuan 梁啟緣 Production Company 製作公司： Making Film Productions Limited 正在電影製作有限公司   6. Café Astoria 明星咖啡廳 Taiwan 台灣 Director 導演： YEE Chih-yen 易智言 Producer 監製： James LIU 劉嘉明, ISEKI Satoru 井關惺 Production Company 製作公司： Joint Entertainment International Inc. 佳映娛樂國際股份有限公司   7. Dancing Mary Japan 日本 Director 導演： SABU Producer 監製： KASHINO Takahito 野孝人 Production Company 製作公司： IMJ Entertainment   8. Detour 大塞車 Hong Kong 香港 Director 導演： Alexi TAN 陳奕利 Producer 監製： Terence CHANG 張家振 Production Company 製作公司： Lion Rock Productions   9. Fugitive Club 逃亡俱樂部 Chinese mainland / Hong Kong 中國內地 / 香港 Director 導演： TANG Xiru 唐郗汝 Producer 監製： Daniel YU 余偉國, Rosa PANG 彭瑞祥, TANG Xiru 唐郗汝 Production Company 製作公司： Beijing October Pictures Co. Ltd. 拾月堂製作有限公司 (北京)   10. Gensenkan 源泉館 Japan 日本 Director 導演： NAKATA Hideo 中田秀夫 Producer 監製： Jennifer FUKASAWA Production Company 製作公司： Hideon Productions   11. High Society Thailand 泰國 Director 導演： Aditya ASSARAT 雅狄也•阿薩拉 Producer 監製： Soros SUKHUM, Aditya ASSARAT 雅狄也•阿薩拉 Production Company 製作公司： Pop Pictures Co. Ltd.   12. Karaoke Malaysia 馬來西亞 Director 導演： Chris CHONG Chan-fui 張千輝 Producer 監製： Paul LEE 李祖蔭, Pierre LABURTHE, Chris CHONG Chan-fui 張千輝 Production Company 製作公司： Tanjung Aru Pictures   13. Mang Liu 盲流 Chinese mainland 中國內地 Director 導演： LI Yang 李楊 Producer 監製： LI Yang 李楊 Production Company 製作公司： Tang Splendor Films Ltd. 盛唐電影製作有限公司   14. Mother (tentative title) South Korea 南韓 Director 導演： BONG Joon-ho 奉俊昊 Producer 監製： CHOI Jae-won 崔載元, SEO Woo-shik 徐愚植 Production Company 製作公司： Barunson Film Division   15. Red Spider Lily 蔓珠莎華 Chinese mainland 中國內地 Director 導演： Robin WENG 翁首鳴 Producers 監製： ZHANG Xianmin 張獻民 Production Company 製作公司： Wonderland Pictures 桃源映畫   16. Romance Rental 愛世代 Taiwan 台灣 Director 導演： KUO Chen-ti 郭珍弟 Producers 監製： WU Nien-Jen 吳念真, Jennifer JAO 饒紫娟 Production Company 製作公司： Wu' s Production Co. 吳念真企畫製作有限公司   17. Secret of the Butterfly (tentative title) Thailand 泰國 Director 導演： Nonzee NIMIBUTR 朗斯•尼美畢達 Producer 監製： Nonzee NIMIBUTR朗斯•尼美畢達, Apichana LEENANOND Production Company 製作公司： Cinemasia Co., Ltd.   18. Service The Philippines 菲律賓 Director 導演： Brillante MENDOZA Producer 監製： Ferdinand LAPUZ Production Company 製作公司： Centerstage Productions Inc.   19. Sharaku (tentative title) 寫樂 (暫名) South Korea 南韓 Director 導演： PARK Tae-Choon 朴泰春 Producer 監製： KIM Seung-Bum 金昇範, ISEKI Satoru 井關惺, KIM Dong-gu 金東玖 Production Company 製作公司： Studio 2.0   20. Shuffle 記不起，你愛我? Hong Kong香港 Director 導演： LAI Miu Suet, Carol 黎妙雪 Producers 監製： CHOW Keung 周強 Production Company 製作公司： United Star Cooperation Ltd. 星匯製作公司   21. Taxi Passenger, The Iran 伊朗 Director 導演： Hassan YEKTAPANAH 哈桑•葉塔潘拿 Producer 監製： Hassan YEKTAPANAH, 哈桑•葉塔潘拿, Nikta TAYEBAN Production Company 製作公司： Valla Film Productions   22. Tsutenkaku (tentative title) 通天閣 (暫名) Japan 日本 Director 導演： OTANI Kentaro 大谷健太郎 Producer 監製： KUBOTA Osamu 久保田修, MAMEOKA Ryosuke 豆岡良亮 Production Company 製作公司： IMJ Entertainment   23. Thirst South Korea 南韓 Director 導演： PARK Chan-wook 朴贊郁 Producer 監製： PARK Chan-wook 朴贊郁, AHN Soohyun 安修賢 Production Company 製作公司： MOHO FILM   24. White Nights 白夜 Chinese mainland / Hong Kong 中國內地 / 香港 Director 導演： SHENG Zhimin 盛志民 Producer 監製： Fruit CHAN 陳果, Chris LIU 劉晶 Production Company 製作公司： Nicetop Independent Ltd., Beijing Oriental Picture Film Co., Ltd 北京東方畫面影視文化有限公司   25. Woman in Paris, A South Korea 南韓 Director 導演： IM Sang-soo 林常樹 Producer 監製： Carole SCOTTA, LEE In-ah 李仁兒 Production Company 製作公司： Haut et Court, Greensky films