Island of the Winds

Cannes Docs

Island of the Winds

Original title: Da Feng Zhi Dao

Directed by: Ya-Ting HSU

Produced by: Ya-Ting HSU (Argosy Films and Media Productions, Taiwan), Huang YIN-YU (Moolin Films, Ltd. & Moolin Production, Co., Ltd, Taiwan & Japan), Baptiste BRUNNER (Wide Productions - La Cuisine aux Images, France)

Country of production: Taiwan, Japan, France

Runtime: 120'

Expected release: February, 2024

Production stage: Post-production

Budget: €318.371 (30.7% in place)

1st feature: Yes

Looking for: International Distribution, Gap Financing, Co-producers, Pre-Sales, Sales

Synopsis:

Following the endless and unforgettable fighting of a social movement around a leprosy sanatorium in Taiwan, a lifework of the filmmaker for two decades.

Director’s profile:

Ya-Ting HSU is a Taiwan based independent filmmaker and began her filmmaking career in 2009 officially. By challenging all manner of artistic conventions and genres, she has been able to form her unique aesthetic and has proven herself to be a skilled and sensitive storyteller. At present, she’s focused on exploring personal desire and loss at specific historical moments. She believes one person’s story can illuminate an entire era. Her latest directorial works “The River”, selected for the 55th Ann Arbor Film Festival; she also in association with Taiwan PBS documentary series “The Making of Modern Taiwan”. She is nominated for Best Editor at Golden Bell Awards for “Our Happy Birth Day”. Currently, she is working on a documentary project “Island of the Winds”has been selected in 2022 Doc By the seas, Editing Lab (the pitch session, won Current Time Prize) and 2021 ASIADOC.

Producer’s profile:

Huang Yin-Yu is a director and producer based in Okinawa. He began documentary filmmaking in 2010, and he founded Moolin Films, Ltd. (Taiwan) in 2015, later Moolin Production Co., Ltd. (Japan) in 2019. His films include “After Spring, the Tamaki Family…” (2016) and “Green Jail” (2021) which were theatrically released in Japan and Taiwan, and his films were selected in Visions du Réel, DOK.fest München, Taipei Film Festival, Kinema Junpo Best 10 Documentaries and others. He is an Emerging Producers 2020 and Rotterdam Lab 2023 alumni and one of the mentors of ASIADOC 2021. As producer, he focuses on international projects with Asian perspectives and aesthetics. Besides film production, he’s the executive director of Cinema at Sea International Film Festival.

Co-Producer’s profile:

Baptiste Brunner is a film Producer for Wide Studios, a French production group covering a large documentary portfolio, supported by all companies acquired by the group. Since 2018, Baptiste has been involved in international co-production meetings several times a year. He has been developing and coproducing documentaries globally. Passionate about author-driven documentary film, Baptiste is also highly interested in major social and environmental topics. His lastest produced documentary works include “WANI”, “AMCHILINI” and “BLUEBERRY DREAMS”, and is now producing “Island of the Winds.”