China, Macau Talent Unveil Dozen Film Projects at Marco Mueller’s Festival of Young Cinema

Chinese director Huo Meng, Taiwanese actor Lee Hong-chi and Macau-based Maxim Bessmertny are among a dozen emerging East Asian talent who will present feature film projects and works in progress at the Festival of Young Cinema (Asia-Europe).

The inaugural edition of the festival, running Jan. 5-11, 2024, will operate as a bridge between the mainland China markets and audiences on one hand and the production and sales industries behind art-house cinema from Europe and other parts of Asia.

The festival opens Friday with a gala screening of Ning Hao’s “The Movie Emperor” and a later showing of the restored version of Yonfan’s “Bugis Street.”

The festival initiative is spearheaded by Marco Mueller, whose track record includes leading creative positions at festivals in Locarno, Rome, Venice and Beijing. He was also previously among the founders of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM) that debuted in 2016.

The project market jury includes: Singapore-based producer Jeremy Chua, festival director Deepti DCunha, producer Wang Yang, script writer Wang Yixin and production and sales executive Esther Yeung.

They will get to examine projects from Greater China that include: “The Wind is Unstoppable” by director? Huo Meng (“Crossing the Border”); “The Fruit,” by Li Dongmei (“Mama”); “Stars and the Moon,” by Tang Yongkang (“Walking in Darkness”); “The Botanist in the White House,” by first time director Jing Yi; “I Am the Happiest Baby in the World,” by actor turned director Lee Hong-Chi (“Love Is a Gun”); “Man Without Woman,” by Chang Biao (upcoming “Unknown Time”); “Aroma Dream,” by Ma Xue (Rotterdam Bright Future selection “White River”); “Water Can Go Anywhere,” by Fang Liang (“The Return”); “Another Green World,” by first-time feature director Wang Kejing; “Twenty-Four Flavors,” directed by Elaine Huang who is also in production on documentary film “Lao Wei”; “When the Bottle Turns,” directed by Tibetan writer-director Luo Dan (“Knot,” “The Bride”).

Macanese and international projects include: Macau-China project “Revisit” from director Huang Tingting (“Revisit”); “The Violin Case” by experienced Macau-based writer-director-producer Bessmertny who is making his feature debut; France-set “Chasing the Sun” (A la Poursuite du Soleil) which is currently in post-production and directed by Huang Ruosong; another French project “Birth” by Cici Li, a successful director of commercial films now making her first venture into art-house auteur cinema.