04 Breathing Hong Kong Action / Drama / HD / Cantonese / 90 mins Gilitte LEUNG Director: Gilitte LEUNG Producer: Richard GEDDES HAF Goals: Funds, Sales agents, Pre-sales Budget: US$800,000 Secured Budget: US$250,000 Director’s Filmography: 2012 Love Me Not A 30-year-old lady learns Thai boxing to lose weight, eventually landing on the professional arena where she fights for her pride. Synopsis “Lose weight and get a husband” – the definition of the perfect mature woman. Magdalena, an advertising brand manager in her early thirties, abides by these core values of Hong Kong womanhood. She undergoes an overseas slimming treatment with a close colleague. Unfortunately, she fails to achieve her ideal size and the side-effects cause her serious pain. Moreover, the rumours spread, provoking disputes between she and her colleague, indirectly leading to her dismissal by the company. Yet, after reaching bottom, both her boxing techniques and her health improve. She begins to fall in love with the excitement of combat and the sadistic trainer. When Kin forces her to fight in an amateur Muay Thai tournament, Magdalena joins reluctantly but unexpectedly triumphs. Nevertheless, Later, she discovers that Kin secretly has paid for a Muay Thai course in Thailand and a round trip airticket under her name. Realising she has blamed Kin unjustly, she takes the course. Undergoing the harsh yet simple life of the training camp, and witnessing the tenacity of the Thai children there, she has new insight about her life. Back from Thailand, she decides to combat in a real, professional Muay Thai tournament. To prove herself, as a beginner, Magdalena steps into the arena of professional Muay Thai boxers. Her opponent will be the five-time champion of Hong Kong! In order to offer her his best training, Kin, too, must face his past, visiting his master since childhood, whom he feels guilty to face again... Producer The inspiration of this story comes from my real life experiences. Once someone who nearly ever did any sport, I started practising Muay Thai boxing by chance. The extreme, intense training was very harsh for a beginner like me. But as time passed, I started to appreciate the positive influences that sport brings. Other than the benefits of healthier body functions, sports also have positive effects on calming human emotions and strengthening the will to overcome all obstacles as well as the will to persist. It is almost like a philosophy. Richard GEDDES Since then, I have gained a great respect for all athletes. This realisation stimulated me to make a movie about sports. In addition to those dynamic Muay Thai boxing training and action-packed competition scenes, I also enrich the story with common worries of love and career troubling modern day women, as well as the frustrations that all of us have to face in life one day or another. I am hoping to encourage the audience to overcome all sorts of challenges in life by connecting to the fighting spirit of sports. Terracotta Media Richard GEDDES has dedicated his professional career to the promotion of films from Asia. As a programmer for a London-based film festival and buyer for a movie distribution label, he is responsible for the exhibition, promotion and maintenance of Cantonese and Mandarin movies in the United Kingdom. Production Company Terracotta Media runs a distribution label and annual film festival as well as regular cultural and film-related events. It has brought films from Johnnie TO, WONG Ching-po, The PANG Brothers and KIM Ki-duk to U.K. audiences via theatrical, DVD and VOD releases. The company’s annual film festival connects films and filmmakers from Asia to the U.K. and beyond. The next step for Terracotta Media is to expand into production of films in Asia for local market and international audiences. Director Gilitte LEUNG Gilitte LEUNG Pik-chi began as a music composer, contributing to well-known Hong Kong singers. She transformed herself into a filmmaker; her passion was realised in Groundwalk (2005), widely screened in festivals. After this first hit, LEUNG continued in local and international film-related projects and competitions, such as Journeys Awards in 2009 and Love More Hong Kong in 2011. Love Me Not (2012) was her directorial debut. Mastering multiple roles as director, screenwriter, editor, composer, cinematographer and producer, LEUNG would like to fully express her ideas in her films and to enrich her skills and experience by participating in different film production platforms. Contact Richard GEDDES Terracotta Media 17 Higham Hill Road, London, U.K., E17 6EA Tel.: +44-7951301593 Email: [email protected] HONG KONG - ASIA FILM FINANCING FORUM 2015 HONG KONG - ASIA FILM FINANCING FORUM 2015 58 Still determined to lose more weight, she joins a Muay Thai boxing personal training programme at a fitness centre. The skinny young coach, Kin, proves to be a “sadistic hell trainer”!!! He forces her to go through rigorous training, including hundreds of rounds of punching sandbags and hardcore fighting. Under severe physical stress, the unemployed Magdalena also has to deal with career pressures arising from her plan to open a cafe. She is on the verge of a breakdown. during the celebration dinner, she learns that Kin’s true intention is just to urge her to buy more of his lessons and exits furiously. Director’s Statement 59