EXCLUSIVE: Chinese actress/singer Zhu Zhu, Amy Irving, Helen Slater and newcomer Harmonie Zhu have been set in Ann Hu’s U.S./Chinese co-production Confetti. The indie film will be produced by Jagman Productions’ Josh Green and Dragon Films’ Zhuo Shun Guo. Principal photography has begun in New York; they will travel to China in early 2018 to shoot there.
The film reunites Hu with Zhuo and the film’s executive producer Han Sanping. It was Han who served as a producer on her previous efforts, Shadow Magic and Beauty Remains. Zhou distributed both films. Hu’s first film Shadow Magic actually beat out Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for the Chinese Academy Award back in 2001 and also became one of the highest box office performers in the Middle Kingdom.
Zhu Zhu made her U.S. theatrical debut in the Wachowski brother’s movie Cloud Atlas and also most recently, Netflix’s Marco Polo. So everyone is joining hands again.
And it’s easy to understand why. I interviewed Hu in May and in my long career as a journalist, Hu was the most humble and gracious of all filmmakers I’ve interviewed. I learned a great deal from her and wrote the story (see RELATED link) so others in the industry could also learn from her experiences and wisdom.
RELATED: Chinese-Born Filmmaker Ann Hu On ‘Confetti’ And What Hollywood Needs To Know
Confetti is a mother/daughter story that takes the audience from rural China to the streets of New York City. It’s about a young woman trapped in a formulated society who tries everything to “normalize” her daughter’s hidden
talent.
Here is the logline: Meimei Chen (Harmonie Zhu), a seven-year old girl from a small town in China, is a mystery to our eyes. Inflicted with a learning disability, she is considered a strange and dumb girl, an outcast in her school and community. What no one recognizes, however, is that Meimei possesses a gift waiting to be unlocked. When her mother, Lan (Zhu Zhu), the wife of a Chinese tailor, learns that Meimei suffers the same learning disability as she does, she will stop at nothing to reverse her daughter’s fate, even if it takes her to the other side of the world and New York City. Braving a place, she knows nothing about and speaking not a word of English, in the end, Confetti tells the story of two people who recognize that their greatest gift is their love for one another. Amy Irving will portray Helen, a reluctant host to Meimei and Lan.
Slater will portray the school administrator that helps Meimei discover her inner talents. In addition, the original score and original song will be composed by Grammy-winning composer Christopher tin.
Green’s previous films include By Sidney Lumet, Don’t Stop Believin: Everyman’s Journey, and Seasons of Love.
Irving is well-known for her work on stage and on big and little screens. She next co-stars in Steven Soderbergh’s feature film Unsane. Slater is probably best known for her work on the TV show Supergirl.
Zhu Zhu is repped by CAA and Brookside Artist Management. Irving is repped by TalentWorks and Rugolo Entertainment. Slater is repped by SMS Talent and Opus Entertainment.
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