Heading for the silver screen

ASTRO SHAW, alongside partners HBO Asia and the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), announced that works are already underway for the upcoming film adaptation of Tan Twan Eng’s The Garden of Evening Mists.
Originally published in 2012, the novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize that same year, and went on to win the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize and the 2013 Walter Scott Prize.
Taiwanese award-winning filmmaker Tom Lin – known for Starry Starry Night and Zinnia Flower – will be directing from the screenplay written by Scottish Bafta-winning screenwriter Richard Smith.
Joining the cast are Golden Horse Awards winner and Malaysian actress Lee Sin Je, prominent Japanese actor and multi-award winner Hiroshi Abe, and Hong Kong actress-director-producer Sylvia Chang.
Also in the line-up are British actors David Oakes (The White Queen, Victoria, and The Borgias) and John Hannah, known for his role in the romantic comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Mummy trilogy.
The film adaptation is set in Malaya just after World War II, and follows Teoh Yun-Ling, a young law graduate, as she seeks solace among the tea plantations of Cameron Highlands.
There she discovers Yugiri, the only Japanese garden in Malaya, and its owner, the mysterious Aritomo Nakamura. Yun Ling seeks Aritomo’s help to create a garden in memory of her sister, who died in a Japanese war camp.
Instead, he offers to teach her the art of Japanese gardening, and over time, the two embark on a forbidden love affair.
“The Garden of Evening Mists is a profound novel, showcasing such beautiful cultural complexities which captivate the heart of its readers,” said Astro Shaw head Najwa Abu Bakar, adding that principal photography commences at the end of May.
HBO Asia senior vice president of production Jessica Kam added: “The Garden of Evening Mists is an enchanting Malaysian story with global resonance. We look forward to presenting this sensational HBO Asia Original feature film when it airs on HBO Asia’s digital, linear and on-demand platforms across 23 territories in Asia and beyond.”