EXCLUSIVE: Goodfellas has unveiled first deals for Taiwanese star Shu Qi’s directorial debut Girl as it gears up for premieres in Venice and Toronto.
The coming of age, intergenerational drama has been acquired by Ad Vitam Distribution for France and I Wonder Pictures for Italy, while early Asian deals are also underway for producer Mandarin Vision, which is handling sales in Asia.
Set in Taiwan in 1988, Girl revolves around Hsiao-lee, a quiet and withdrawn girl, growing up in silent gloom. Her encounter with vibrant and carefree Li-li, reawakens long-buried dreams.
As she begins to open up to the world, her mother Chuan’s past resurfaces, echoing her own pain. Caught between inherited sorrow and a longing for freedom, Hsiao-lee must navigate the shadows of a life she never chose.
The drama was among 55 titles announced for TIFF’s Centrepiece section on Tuesday. It will make its North American premiere in Toronto, after world premiering in Competition at the Venice Film Festival.
Shu Qi, who wrote the screenplay and directs, is one of Taiwan’s biggest stars.
The multi-award winning actress is a regular collaborator with Cannes habitué Hou Hsiao-hsien, appearing in his works Millennium Mambo (2001), Three Times (2005) and The Assassin (2015).
Her other credits including Stephen Chow’s Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, Jiang Wen’s Gone With the Bullets, Wuershan’s Mojin: The Lost Legend and Chen Yu-Hsun’s The Village of No Return.
