Boutique international sales and distribution company Parallax Films has boarded world sales on Chinese title “A Dance in Vain,” the second feature from Lee Hong-chi following his 2023 Venice Lion of the Future Award-winning debut “Love is a Gun.”
The film has been selected for the Settimana Internazionale della Critica (SIC), the independent and parallel section of the Venice International Film Festival organized by the Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI).
The deal marks Parallax’s second collaboration with Lee after handling international sales on “Love is a Gun.” Interestingly, “A Dance in Vain” was actually shot before Lee’s breakthrough success with “Love is a Gun,” but extended post-production delayed its completion, allowing the director’s debut to reach audiences first.
The drama stars Cici Wang as Monkey, a theater company worker struggling to make ends meet in an unnamed big city. The story follows her repetitive daily existence, haunted by the 2020 suicide of her boyfriend Leo, who had returned to his hometown before taking his own life. Caught in cycles of routine and isolation, Monkey attempts to communicate her exhaustion to others, only to be met with dismissive responses telling her she should be grateful for what she has.
Lee serves triple duty as director, screenwriter and cinematographer on the Chinese production, with Qi Ai and Justine O. producing.
The filmmaker has established himself as both a performer and director in recent years. He won the best new performer award at the 52nd Golden Horse Awards and best leading actor at the 17th Taipei Film Festival for his role in “Thanatos, Drunk.” His acting credits include over 10 acclaimed features such as Bi Gan’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (2018 Cannes), Midi Z’s “Cities of Last Things” (winner of Platform Prize at 2018 Toronto International Film Festival), Lulu Wang’s “Tigertail” (Netflix), and “Baby” (2018 San Sebastián).
The 40th edition of the Settimana Internazionale della Critica features seven films in competition: “Agon” by Giulio Bertelli (Italy, U.S, France), “Cotton Queen” by Suzannah Mirghani (Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan), “Gorgonà” by Evi Kalogiropoulou (Greece, France), “Ish” by Imran Perretta (U.K.), “Roqia” by Yanis Koussim (Algeria, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia), “Straight Circle” by Oscar Hudson (U.K.), and “Waking Hours” by Federico Cammarata and Filippo Foscarini (Italy).
Special events include “Confini, canti” by Simone Massi as the opening film, “Incontro di notte” by Liliana Cavani as the closing film, “Stereo Girls,” and “100 Nights of Hero.” In collaboration with the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the section also presents “A Dance in Vain.”
The SIC@SIC Short Italian Cinema section features seven titles in competition: “Arca” by Lorenzo Quagliozzi (Italy), “Family Feast” by Nadir Taji (Italy), “Marina” by Paoli De Luca (Italy), “The Motorcycle” by Matteo Giampetruzzi (Italy, Denmark, Spain), “The Lost Child” by Paolo Baiguera (Italy), “The Pornographer” by Hariel (Italy), and “Saints” by Valeria Gaudieri (Italy). The section’s special events include “Restare” by Fabio Bobbio (Italy) as the opening short film and “Confini, canti” by Simone Massi (Italy) as the closing short film.
The seven competition features are eligible for multiple awards including the IWonderfull Grand Prize (€10,000/$11,645), Settimana Audience Award (€3,000), and the Luciano Sovena Award for best independent producer (€3,000/$3,495). All competition films are also eligible for the Lion of the Future – Luigi De Laurentiis Venice Award for a Debut Film, worth $100,000, donated by Filmauro, to be divided equally between the producer and director.
variety.com
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