‘Second Wave’ Hong Kong filmmaker Clara Law (Floating Life) is
finally returning to the director’s chair after a four year sabbatical with her
first Chinese film since 1994’s King of Western Chu (her last film before
bolting to Australia prior to Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997). Like a
Dream, which Law announced at the Shanghai Film Festival, is a romancer that
spans the cities of Shanghai, Taipei, and New York. She told Variety ‘The idea
for the film sprang from a conversation I had with a friend who remarked how
much Shanghai resembles New York these days.’
The film stars HK mega-idol Daniel Wu (The Banquet) as a
native Chinese-American who gets wrapped up in a bit of international romantic intrigue.
Bubbly Quan Yuan (For the Children) plays Wu’s love interest. Law’s films often
examine the themes of migration and cultural identity so the choice of subject matter here is not surprising.
Law’s husband and frequent screenwriter Eddie Fong will
produce the $3 million project along with Peggy Chiao of Arch Light Films. Wu will
be associate producing. Bona Group (who reps Yuan through their Bona Yinglong
talent agency) will distribute the film locally and possibly oversees through
its recently established Bona International.
Production is set to commence in August and wrap sometime in
October.
