The producers of Woo Ming Jin’s latest film, “The Fox King,” announced at the Cannes Film Festival that main photography had concluded. Woo Ming Jin is an award-winning Malaysian filmmaker.
“The Fox King” is the story of Ali and Amir, fraternal twins who are inseparable and have a telepathic relationship. It is set in a beach village in Malaysia in the early 2000s. When their father remarries a younger woman and abandons them, the brothers are left to fend for themselves. Their fraternal friendship is put to the test when Lara, a new teacher, arrives.
Leading the film is Indonesian actress Dian Sastrowardoyo (from “Cigarette Girl” on Netflix), with newcomer Hadi Putra and actors Idan Aedan and Amerul Affendi from “I.D.” and “Blood Flower” and Rain Town, respectively.
In 2023, “The Fox King” took part in the Tokyo gap finance and QCinema project markets. The movie is a production by Sunstrong Entertainment (Venice selection “Snow in Midsummer”) in association with Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media, Greenlight Pictures, Da Huang Pictures, and other Malaysian businesses. The Malaysian National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) also provides support for the film.
Woo and Edmund Yeo from Greenlight Pictures, whose previous picture, “Stone Turtle,” took home the FIPRESCI Prise at the Locarno 2022 film festival, are part of the production team. Co-producers are Chua Jin Xuan of Da Huang Pictures (owner of the Shanghai winner “Barbarian Invasion”) and Yulia Evina Bhara of KawanKawan Media (owner of the Venice winner “Autobiography”).
The Jakarta-based KawanKawan Media is well-known for regional co-productions including Cannes winner “Tiger Stripes” and Locarno winners “Dreaming & Dying” and “Whether The Weather Is Fine.” This is the second partnership between Greenlight Pictures and KawanKawan Media following “Stone Turtle.”
“Creative works will not remain untouched by the possibilities it offers in a world going borderless,” stated Kamil Othman, chair of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS). FINAS has always aimed to promote co-productions as a way to forge synergies that would not be feasible otherwise. One such effort that is paving the way is “The Fox King,” which sets the foundation for telling tales that appeal to viewers worldwide.
Woo continued, “Being a twin myself, I wanted to investigate the subtleties of twins that span the range from having an unwavering link to rivalry, pettiness, and everything in between. Being able to work with Dian Sastro makes me very happy. She is a titan of Indonesian film, and I have long adored her. Working with Yulia once more on this movie is the cherry on top.
