KUALA LUMPUR, 2 July – Today Astro Shaw and its partners HBO Asia and FINAS announced that filming has commenced for Tan Twan Eng’s award winning novel, The Garden of Evening Mists (TGOEM) in various locations in Malaysia including the scenic landscapes of Cameron Highland’s famed tea plantations. Taiwanese award-winning filmmaker and director of TGOEM, Tom Lin is in town together with his star-studded cast - Lee Sinje, Hiroshi Abe, John Hannah, David Oakes, Serene Lim, Tan Kheng Hua and so on.
Malaysian actress Lee Sinje and Taiwanese actress-director-producer, Sylvia Chang play the leading role of Teoh Yun Ling in the 1950s and the 1980s respectively. Prominent Japanese actor, Hiroshi Abe, will take on the role of Nakamura Aritomo; the exiled Japanese gardener with whom Yun Ling is romantically involved with. British actors David Oakes (The White Queen, Victoria)and Julian Sands (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) portrayFrederik Gemmell in the 1950s and the 1980s, while John Hannah (Four Weddings and A Funeral and The Mummy trilogy) will play Magnus Gemmell. Up-and-coming Malaysian actress Serene Lim (Think Big Big) plays Teoh Yun Hong; Yun Ling`s sister.
Najwa Abu Bakar, Head of Astro Shaw said “The film will feature a stellar international cast and crew, including Malaysian talents in key acting and production roles. Over two-thirds of the cast and crew are made up of Malaysians, signalling Astro`s commitment to nurturing local talents for international exposure. We are also privileged to work with talents of diverse backgrounds from Taiwan, Japan, India and Australia to showcase Malaysia`s unique voice through Tan Twan Eng`s award winning novel, TGOEM. The lyrical and beautiful story captivates its readers with the mesmerising beauty of Malaya after World War II, and we are confident that the vivid adaptation will resonate among Asian audiences and beyond, due to many similarities in shared culture, language and history.”
Jessica Kam, Senior Vice President, HBO Asia Original Productions, HBO Asia said, “HBO Asia is committed to ramping up its slate of original productions which includes both TV series as well as high quality films. We are thrilled to partner with Astro Shaw to produce this extraordinary feature film with a Malaysian soul by world class film professionals, and to showcase it to our audience on our digital, linear and on-demand platforms across 23 territories in Asia and beyond.”
TGOEM is graced by a team of acclaimed industry experts such as Scottish BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) winning screenwriter, Richard Smith, renowned cinematographer, Kartik Vijay (Manto), celebrated production designer, Penny Tsai (See You Tomorrow), costume designer Nina Edwards, who is also known for her work in The Great Gatsby, Wolverine and The Matrix and makeup and hair designer Nikki Gooley, known for her BAFTA and Saturn award for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and her Oscar and Saturn nomination for Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith.
Set in dual timelines of the 1950s and the 1980s, the central narrative of the film focuses on Yun Ling played by Chang. As she narrates her story, audiences are taken into flashbacks of Yun Ling (Lee) as she recollects her life post-war in the 1950s. Past events haunt her into guilt of Yun Hong’s (Lim) passing and her enthralling relationship with the Japanese gardener Aritomo (Abe), whom she seeks help to build a garden in memory of her sister. The movie is slated for a theatrical world premiere in 2019.
