Strand Releasing has acquired the North American rights to Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well,” which world premiered at this year’s Berlinale and won the Teddy Prize for best film. The movie played last week as the opening film at the Hong Kong Film Festival.
“All Shall Be Well” chronicles the lives oftwo women, Angie and Pat, a couple living in Hong Kong who have been together for over four decades. After Pat’s unexpected death, Angie finds herself at the mercy of her extended family as she struggles to retain both her dignity and the home that they shared for over 30 years.
A universal tale, the movie also explores the limitations of Hong Kong’s laws, which don’t allow same-sex marriage. Patra Au Ga Man and Maggie Li Lin Lin star in the lead roles of Angie and Pat, respectively.
The deal was done between Jon Gerrans of Strand Releasing and Jean-Christophe Simon of Films Boutique.
“We’re thrilled to berepresenting Ray’s latest film. This is our third film with him and his team, having handled ‘Front Cover’ and ‘Twilight’s Kiss,'” said Marcus Hu at Strand Releasing.“Having Ray and the team in our family with thisspecial story is very meaningful to us,” Hu added.
Strand plans to unveil the film in festivals across North America, starting with its North American premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival and followed by a theatrical release in late summer or fall.
“Strand Releasing is the perfect home for the film and to give it the right positioning to reach the North American audiences,” Simon said.
Yeung added, “Strand has a great track record with their strategy of selecting anddistributing thought-provoking, artistic and touching films from allaround the world.”
Speaking about his film in a recent interview with PvNew,Yeungsaid the issue of inheritance in countries where same-sex marriage isn’t allowed is a “problem” that is “emphasized in a place like Hong Kong, where property prices are out of reach for most people, especially for the younger generation.”
“All Shall Be Well” was produced by Yeung’s frequent collaborator Michael J. Werner along with Teresa Kwong, Sandy Yip and Chowee Leow.
Strand Releasing’s current slate includes Anthony Chen’s “The Breaking Ice,” Zhang Lu’s “The Shadowless Tower,” Margreth Olin’s “Songs of Earth” and Pierre Creton’s “A Prince.”
