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In February 2025, it was revealed that Jennifer Zhang's sci-fi thriller, Trüebadour, was expected to begin filming in April. Ryan Bergara, who will star in the upcoming film, took to Instagram to give fans a positive status update.

Bergara confirmed via Instagram that production of the sci-fi thriller has officially begun. Bergara shared several behind-the-scenes photos, telling fans: "First days of Trüebadour in the can! Having a blast working with these folks and trying to take in and celebrate every small step of this journey! So here’s a lil bts while we continue the long road ahead!" Reflecting on his experience so far, he added, "And if I’m being embarrassingly honest… making a movie on the Universal lot, seeing The studio tour trams pass by, the same trams that I’ve sat in literally a hundred times, was surreal and genuinely a childhood dream fulfilled."

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Mangowork Studio’s “Clouded Leopard” won the Taicca x Cnc Award, the grand prize at the 2024 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) pitching sessions, which carries a cash award of $30,000. The tale, with elements of adventure and magic is from the team of Yang Dow-ning, Chi Po-chou and Hsu Chia-hao.

Comedy-horror series project “Pontianaks in Taiwan,” and education-themed “The Top Percentile” also emerged as major winners, securing three awards each. “Pontianaks in Taiwan,” from the creative team of Goh Ming Siu, Karl Gan and Holly Chan, won the MyVideo Initiative Award, the Taigi TV Award and the Kfa Original Award. “The Top Percentile,” from Becca Liao, Jessica Kam and Jiang Suqiu, won the Formosa TV Award, Ebc Original IP Potential Award and the Zw Ingenuity Award.

The Taicca Award: Best Story went to “Rest in Pieces” by Balena Islet Publishing Inc

In the feature film category, “Sunshower” from Hsubox Productions and...

Directed by Lawrence Chen, “Starring Jerry as Himself” is a hybrid documentary that mostly shows a fictionalized version of a true-life narrative. It revolves around Jerry S Hsu, a Chinese-American immigrant in his late sixties, living his twilight years in Orlando, Florida. Recently divorced, he lives a bachelor’s life all by himself. Like any parent who immigrated to a Western land, he entered this country to provide better lives for his children. Throughout his life, he had been frugal to a fault. He spent on his bare necessities without indulging in anything. This is a particularly Asian-father trait, whether you’re from Southern nations or the Eastern ones.

After leading his life for his family’s happiness, Jerry is now a retired man. Still, he is open to helping his children with their needs. Even during their family reunion, he is a kind presence in their lives. However, underneath his calm and composed exterior,...

Taiwan-Italy production outfit Volos Films has unveiled a diverse slate of features and documentaries at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf).

The feature film lineup includes “Polaris,” directed by Yamanaka Yoko, whose “Desert of Namibia” screened at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. Set in a Tokyo bar, the film follows women from different backgrounds whose lives intersect. The project marks Volos’s first Japan co-production, with producers Chang Chuti, Chuma Kusuke, Mao Okuno and Stefano Centini attached.

Stefanos Tsai’s “Sunshower” centers on a Chinese-American man visiting his grandmother with dementia, who mistakes him for her first love. Jonathan Hsu produces, with Centini executive producing.

In the documentary section, Hong Kong director Frankie Sin presents “Nomads of the Island,” exploring his family’s fishing heritage and migration to Taiwan. Sin’s previous documentary “Another Home” won the Biff Mecenat Award at Busan 2024. Chiu Ping-Yu and Centini produce, with Peter Yam and Huang Hui-Chen are executive producing.

Exclusive: Jennifer Zhang, is set to direct sci-fi feature length anthology, Trüebadour. Also written by Zhang, the film stars Gina Su, and Daphne Qin Wu serves as cinematographer.

Based on the sci-fi short Autopilot, Trüebadour follows an enigmatic engineering prodigy who introduces the bombastic founder of a tech start-up to an innovative “storytelling” device that scans its wearer to generate an original work of fiction. No one at the company is prepared for the unsettling stories their minds inspire, nor the disturbing consequences of using the device.

“I’ve always had a voracious passion for science fiction but grew up enjoying it while seeing very few faces and perspectives like ours represented in it. Trüebadour is as much a serious contribution to the genre as it is a love letter to Asian American sci-fi fans,” said Zhang.

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired rights to the narrative-doc hybrid Starring Jerry As Himself, which won both the Audience and Jury Award at Slamdance 2023, from Visit Films, slating it for release in select theaters and on home entertainment platforms beginning in late summer.

Pic chronicles the fantastical misadventures of Jerry Hsu, an ordinary Taiwanese immigrant retired in Orlando, who becomes a spy in an international money laundering investigation. After months of keeping his mission secret, Jerry finally reveals everything to his family. This prompts Jerry’s actual son and producer of the film, Jonathan Hsu, to dramatize his father’s ordeal in order to discover the truth about what really happened and how it changed Jerry’s life forever.

As he set out to bring the film to life, Jonathan brought aboard Law Chen, an award-winning helmer of commercials and documentary shorts, as director. Chen also went on to produce...

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) has unveiled 26 in-development projects for the 22nd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), which will become part of the newly expanded Hkiff Industry Project Market.

The lineup features both veteran and rising filmmakers including Koji Fukada, Hong Khaou, Jang Kun-jae, Qiu Jiongjiong, Patiparn Boontarig, Wang Xiaoshuai, Teruhisa Yamamoto, and Zhang Lu. The projects cover comedy, horror, action, romance and family drama, including seven first features, two animations and a string of cross-country collaborations.

Scroll down for full list of projects

“The selection is a testament to the resurgence of diversity and the revitalisation of international collaborations,...

“The Eternals” star Gemma Chan and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” director Destin Daniel Cretton have boarded Lloyd Lee Choi’s Oscar-qualifying short “Closing Dynasty” as executive producers.

“Closing Dynasty,” which received its world premiere at Berlinale earlier this year, tells the story of Queenie, whose life isn’t like that of other kids her age.

“To an adult onlooker, she might seem lost among the towering New York skyscrapers, but 7-year-old Queenie has a clear goal: to make money,” reads the logline. “Hustling for donations, collecting bottles, impressing passers-by with her crafty salesmanship – she’ll do whatever it takes. But we can’t help but wonder why she’s working so hard on a school day. Ultimately, Queenie must confront the realities that she can’t control, in a powerful turn that highlights the resilience of kids in a very grown-up world.”

The film won Berlinale...