Taipei-based international sales company Distribution Workshop will be selling Lunar New Year hit Hidden Blade, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and Wong Ching-po’s highly-anticipated new film, The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon, at the upcoming European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin.
Directed by Cheng Er, Hidden Blade is a spy thriller set in Shanghai during the Second World War, and also stars Wang Yibo (Born To Fly) and Zhou Xun (Our Time Will Come).
The $45m production has so far grossed $116.6M since its release over the Lunar New Year holidays on January 22, according to figures from Artisan Gateway.
The film is the third installment in the “China Victory Trilogy” produced by Beijing-based Bona Film Group, following Chinese Doctors and The Battle At Lake Changjin. Cheng Er is known for crime dramas such as Lethal Hostage (2012) and The Wasted Times (2016).
The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon is produced by Lee Lieh, one of Taiwan’s biggest producers with credits including Detention and Monga. Golden Horse Award winner Ethan Juan (Monga) heads the cast along with Ben Yuen (Tracey), Chen Yi-wen (A Sun) and Gingle Wang (Detention).
The story follows a fugitive who has been in hiding for four years since seeking revenge at the funeral of a gang leader. He plans to turn himself in, as he’s been diagnosed with cancer and only has six months to live, until he discovers that he’s only the third most-wanted criminal on the police station bulletin board. He then decides to wipe out the top two most-wanted criminals so he can die with top honours.
The film is aiming to release in the second half of 2023. Wong Ching-po is known for stylish crime thrillers such as Once Upon A Time In Shanghai (2014) and Mob Sister (2005).
Distribution Workshop is also handing sales on Taiwanese filmmaker Chan Ching-lin’s Coo-Coo 043, which won best film at last year’s Golden Horse Awards, and horror film Antikalpa, directed by Philip Shih and starring Guan Zhi Huang and Regina Lei.
