 Home-grown movie "The Home Song Stories" to hit big screen
SINGAPORE : Unrequited love, betrayal and secrets may be the recipe for disaster in real life.
But in real life, it's the recipe for a hit movie.
What happens when a beautiful lady uproots herself from the culture that celebrates her, to one that she just cannot seem to grasp?
Based on writer-director Tony Ayres' own life story, "The Home Song Stories" poignantly explores the life of this lady and her two young children.
Expect lovely scenes shot in Australia, and a masterful cast in the movie.
International star Joan Chen is the leading lady, while MediaCorp actor Qi Yu Wu plays a supporting role.
And it seems he's as much the heartthrob in real life as he is in the movie.
"I fall in love with a Chinese woman, and then after that I fall in love with her daughter, so it creates a lot of trouble," says the actor.
Qi Yu Wu is the first of MediaCorp's stable of artistes to set aside a year, specially for movies.
MediaCorp hopes more will follow suit.
"We hope that he will not be the last, that he will pave the way for other local artistes to set time aside to focus on movies as well," says Daniel Yun, MD of MediaCorp Raintree Pictures.
Things are also looking good with MediaCorp's steady stream of hit movies, but it isn't always smooth sailing.
"One of the biggest challenge would be, everytime you see Asian faces, whether speaking English or not, it's classified as an art house film in the Western market. Asian filmmakers have always tried to break out of that mould," explains Yun.
And this movie may just do that, especially after overwhelming responses from screenings in Berlin, Cannes and Australia.
"The Home Song Stories" will be in local theatres at the end of August. - CNA /ls | 
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