Fran Borgia of Singapore's Akanga Film Asia (Tiger Stripes), who is at the Venice Film Festival this week with Yeo Siew Hua's Golden Lion-nominated Stranger Eyes, has announced two new projects to his production company's burgeoning lineup, including a limited series from Yeo, whose 2018 film A Land Imagined won the top prize at the Locarno Film Festival.
“We are excited to announce that we will be broadening our horizons beyond Southeast Asia and embarking on ambitious new projects with partners in China, Japan and India,” Borgia told Variety. “These international co-productions bring new challenges and opportunities, giving us the chance to push our creative boundaries and expand our artistic skills.”
Described by producers as a “compelling and innovative addition to[Yeo's]oeuvre,” the Singaporean filmmaker's seven-episode police psychological thriller series The Fundamentals delves into small-town paranoia while blending scientific, cult and procedural elements. Developed by Yeo and written by Yeo, Zheng-Fuan Wang, Ting Chih-Wen and Cheng Chieh-Ju, the series is co-developed by Akanga Film Asia (Singapore) and Volos Films (Taiwan), with Yeo, Borgia and Volos Films' Stefano Centini serving as showrunners. Currently in development, the series is scheduled to shoot in Taiwan in 2025.
Set in the small town of Trung Dinh, “The Fundamentals” tells the story of a police inspector and a sophisticated investigator who confront the terrifying discovery of 25 headless bodies and a hidden cult seeking to restore the balance of nature through supernatural means. As the investigation progresses, the inspector becomes more immersed in the cult, threatening his partner's scientific beliefs and search for the truth.
Akanga's filmography also includes Vu Minh Nghia's feature debut “Waiting for Godard” (pictured above), whose short film “Living Above the Clouds” premiered in the Horizon section at the Venice Film Festival in 2020. The Vietnamese-Singaporean co-production is produced by Nguyen Trung Nghia for his short film “Mulberry Fields” at the Directors' Fortnight of Cannes Film Festival this year, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, whose short film “Cu Li Never Cries” won the Best Feature Film Award at the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival, and “Borgia”. The project is being developed at SGIFF Southeast Asia Film Lab 2023, HIFF Project Lab 2024 and Produire Au Sud Taipei 2024.
Vu's debut feature film follows a young independent filmmaker who finds himself in a difficult position after a new government policy leaves him long-term unemployed. He meets his old colleagues from the National Film Studio, whose futures are uncertain as they struggle to adapt to a rapidly changing global economy. They feel like ghosts from the past, carrying classic propaganda films they once made. Intrigued, Vu decides to interview them.
Borgia said his Singapore-based company is “passionate about discovering and supporting emerging talent in the industry,” and that he is “particularly excited about our work with Vietnamese filmmaker Vu Minh Nghia, whose unique perspective and approach to storytelling will add something special to our creative projects.”
Fran Borgia, founder of Akanksha Films Asia. Courtesy of Akanksha Films Asia.
Along with Stranger Eyes, the producers are in Lido this week with Singaporean filmmaker Tan Siu's first feature film Amoeba, which the pair will be screening at the Gap Financing Market at Venice Production Bridge. Borgia's other projects include Renoir, Akankga's second feature film written and directed by Chie Hayakawa (Cannes Un Certain Regard winner Plan 75), which will be Akankga's first co-production with Japan. Also in the works is Thonglor Kids, from acclaimed Thai director Aditya Assarat, who is returning to feature filmmaking after 2010's Hi-Saw. Principal photography on the film, which tells the story of a man who retires to the countryside after a failed marriage only to have his life transformed by the arrival of his best friend, is scheduled to begin in Thailand in the fourth quarter of 2024.
“We are currently collaborating with incredible Asian filmmakers, including Tang Siu, Yeo Siu Hua and K. Rajagopal from Singapore, Huang Zhi and Ryuji Otsuka from China and Japan, Rima Das, Deyali Mukherjee and Aakash Chhabra from India, Giovanni Rustant from Indonesia, Ash Mayfair and Vu Minh Nghia from Vietnam, Chie Hayakawa from Japan and Aditya Assarat from Thailand,” said Borgia. “We are honored to be part of this talented and diverse group of creators.
“Our goal is to tell stories that connect with people around the world while telling personal and unique stories. By blending diverse cultural influences with fresh storytelling techniques, we aim to create content that resonates with audiences around the world.”
