ACF
Asian Cinema Fund
Post-Production Fund
2008 Post-Production Fund
LIST At the End of Daybreak
| Category | Asian |
|---|---|
| Project | At the End of Daybreak |
| Director | Yuhang HO |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Director's Profile | Born in 1971, in Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Ho’s first fiction feature, [Min] (2003), won the Special Jury Prize at the Nantes Festival of 3 Continents. His second digitally-produced feature, [Sanctuary] (2004), won the NETPAC Award at the 2004 Pusan International film Festival, and an honorary Mention from the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2005. [Rain Dogs] (2006) won him the Best Director Award at Nantes. His latest short film, [As I Lay Dying] (2007), premiered in Pusan, and then won the TIGER Short Film Competition in the International Film Festival of Rotterdam. He is now shooting his latest feature, a Malaysian/ South Korean/ Hong Kong co-production, [AT THE END OF DAYBREAK]. |
- Synopsis
- The 20-something Tuck Chai meets a high school girl Ying through an internet chat site. They have a sexual relationship that is soon discovered by the under-aged girl’s parents, who then threaten to press charges against the boy, as sex with a minor constitutes rape. The boy’s mother peace-talks with the girl’s parents and a monetary settlement is agreed. Even when the boy has successfully raised the money to pay them off, the girl’s parents still insist on suing him. The boy, fearing the impending jail sentence, asks the girl out secretly to talk things over. It has been said that a little fear would curdle love into hate. By this time, there is only fear, frustration, anger, and distrust between them.
- Director's Note
- The first image was the discovery of two female corpses. Three days later, the police found clues that led to the arrest of a 20-something male. Following this, two other accomplices were brought in. The boy′s mother was rounded up as well. Reporters found a buzz headline: overbearing parents hampering child′s growth. People couldn′t lament enough the results borne of obvious social ills: the failure of the education system, an out-of-control media representation of sex and violence, and every other related ill. This film is an account of an inevitable loss that slowly takes shape, of which every character makes seemingly reasonable and rational decisions that soon work against them in the worst possible way.
- Festivals
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2009 Tokyo International Film Festival
2009 Locarno International Film Festival - NETPAC Award
2009 Golden Hosre Film Festival - Best Supporting Actress
2009 Busan International Film Festival - A Window on Asian Cinema
2010 International Film Festival Rotterdam - Spectrum
2010 Hong Kong Film Awards - Best Actress
- Still Cut
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