This Southeast Asian project made a splash at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, one of the most reputed festivals in the world...
Kuala Lumpur, 30 September 2022 - Malaysian born director Ray Lau’s directorial debut, The Sunny Side of The Street, is set to become a major awards contender after clinching a stunning six nominations at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (TGHFF). The Golden Horse awards are among the most prestigious recognitions for the Chinese language film industry.
The Sunny Side of the Street garnered nominations in the category of Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film, Best Leading Actor, Best New Performer and Best Cinematography. The movie follows the story of a 10-year-old Pakistani refugee boy on the run but finds an unexpected kinship with a Hong Kong taxi driver (played by famed actor Anthony Wong). Their journeys charmingly align in this one-of-a-kind movie that is set to travel the festival circuits further.
Director Ray Lau drew many aspects of the story from his own experiences as a Malaysian immigrant in Hong Kong. In an exclusive interview with The Vibes earlier this year, he said, “the story focuses on what it is like being a refugee in Hong Kong city. I am not a refugee myself, but I put a lot of my personal emotions in it regarding the father-son relationship (or absence of it) because I am not in a close relationship with my family members. Of course, we love each other, but I did not necessarily talk to my father (in particular) in our day-to-day life before I left Malaysia. Then, when I came to Hong Kong the chance of bonding became even distant. I felt very lonely growing up in this city, and I needed to learn how to become a man at a young age because when I arrived, I was just 18 (to pursue my studies).”
The movie is also the debut project of PETRA Films, headed by Darren Shaw and PETRA Group chairman Datuk (Dr) Vinod Sekhar. Producer Peter Yam commended the vision of the production company saying, “I remember specifically, that they are pushing for humanity and impact, and that is striking. To create a long-lasting impact, PETRA Films has been very helpful in allowing us to work independently with a good backing of production-related consultation.”
“I’m so thrilled and pleasantly surprised that as a Malaysian company and working with a Malaysian director we have achieved such recognition from a prestigious award like Golden Horse, where the standards are incredibly high,” said Datuk Vinod.
Petra Films a part of Malaysian conglomerate Petra Group’s media division already has plans to announce two more global projects soon.
About PETRA Films
PETRA Films is an independent, internationally oriented film company based in Singapore and Hong Kong that develops and produces feature films and episodic programming.
PETRA Films looks for compelling, thought-provoking, inspiring and humanistic stories that have artistic merit, entertainment value and commercial potential. It focuses on stories and talent with an Asian perspective but is open to projects in any language that can be set in Asia or elsewhere in the World.
For any queries, please contact:
Jesvin Kaur +60 19-326 3055| jesvin@petragroup.net