Paris-based international sales company Reel Suspects has boarded worldwide sales on Chinese filmmaker Ah Biao’s feature debut “Border” (“Bian Jing”), which will world premiere in the official selection of the San Sebastián Film Festival, where it competes for the Golden Shell.
The cast includes Zheyan Li, Feng Qi, Sanming Han, Gang Zheng and Tao Guo, in a Hong Kong-U.S.-South Korea-Japan co-production.
The story centers on an impoverished young miner living a muted existence in a remote town where emotional reticence is the norm among men. A mysterious young woman disrupts his routine, awakening a curiosity he thought long dormant. Drawn to follow her into unfamiliar territory, he abandons the familiar comforts of his old life, not realizing she is hiding something about who she really is.
Ah Biao, who was born in Shanxi, China, and is now based in Bangkok, works as a director, screenwriter and cinematographer. “Border” is his first feature, placing him in San Sebastián’s main competition lineup alongside veteran directors Mike Leigh, Pablo Larraín, Nicole Garcia and Yeşim Ustaoğlu.
Borderless Films produced “Border,” with Jenny Man Wu as producer alongside fellow producers Lili Tong, Tyler Hill and Xue Ma. “For us, bringing a fully independently produced first feature to San Sebastián’s official competition is especially meaningful,” said producer Jenny Man Wu. “The film was carried forward by a deeply committed team who believed in Ah Biao’s vision and found ways to sustain it at every stage of its production.”
The film also figures among 24 titles in the running for this year’s Sebastiane Award, an honor Basque LGBTIQA+ association Gehitu gives to the film judged the strongest portrayal of queer lives and experiences.
