Emperor Motion Pictures used FilMart in its Hong Kong home town to launch a bumper production and distribution slate of 15 film titles – marking 2015 and the company’s 15th year.
The lineup spans mainstream features to be co-produced with mainland Chinese partners, arthouse titles and more indie-style pictures aimed at narrower Hong Kong audiences.
Dante Lam, an EMP regular, directs anticipated blockbuster “To the Fore,” a sports drama set in the high-stakes world of competitive cycling. It will star Eddie Peng, currently one of the hottest stars in Asia, and Siwon Choi.
"Two Thumbs Up” gives the Hong Kong cops-and-robbers formula a new twist with gangsters posing as cops confronted by a rival gang of murderers. The director is Lau Ho-leung, and Soi Cheang produced. A typically Hong Kong cast is headed by Simon Yam, Francis Ng and Leo Ku.
Fruit Chan, who returned to form last year with “The Midnight After,” is in the process of delivering two movies for EMP: dance movie “We Are the World,” with Hins Cheung; and suspense thriller “Kill Time,” starring Angelababy and Ethan Ruan.
Award-winning actress Kara Wai and Carlos Chan head the cast of “Happiness,” a cross-generational Alzheimer’s drama directed by Lo Yu-fai and produced with China’s Dadi.
Other pictures in earlier stages of production include Hong Kong gangster film “The Mobfathers,” starring Chapman To, and “Drink Drank Drunk,” a courtroom comedy to be directed by Takkie Yeung.
Further off is a trio of untitled projects with big-name directors: a martial arts comedy by Yuen Wo-ping (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”); a thriller from Alan Mak and Felix Chong (“Infernal Affairs”); and another by Benny Chan (“The White Storm”).