The first trailer has been unveiled for Singaporean filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua‘s “Stranger Eyes,” which is in the main competition at the Venice Film Festival.
In the film, after the mysterious disappearance of their baby daughter, a young couple receives strange videos and realises someone has been filming their daily life — even their most intimate moments. The police sets up surveillance around their home to catch the voyeur, but the family starts to crumble as secrets unravel under the scrutiny of eyes watching them from all sides.
Yeo, whose “A Land Imagined” won the Locarno Film Festival’s top prize in 2018, has cast acclaimed Taiwanese actors Lee Kang-Sheng (“What Time Is It There?”, “Days”) and Wu Chien-Ho (“A Sun”) in the film. Other key cast include newcomers Anicca Panna and Xenia Tan, and veterans Vera Chen (“Boluomi”) and Pete Teo (“Barbarian Invasion”).
The film is structured as a Singapore-Taiwan-France-U.S. co-venture. It is produced by Fran Borgia for Singapore’s Akanga Film Asia (“A Land Imagined”, “Tiger Stripes”); Stefano Centini for Taiwan’s Volos Films (“Tomorrow Is a Long Time,” “The Settlers”); Jean-Laurent Csinidis for France’s Films de Force Majeure (”Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege,” “A Holy Family”); and Alex C. Lo for the U.S.-based Cinema Inutile (“Club Zero,” “The Settlers”). Playtime is handling international sales.
Popular on Variety
“Stranger Eyes” is made in association with Tiger Tiger Pictures, Incantation Films, Epicentre Films, Volya Films and Playtime, with the participation of Singapore Film Commission, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), L’aide Aux Cinemas Du Monde, Centre National Du Cinema Et De L’image Animee, Institut Français and Region Provence-alpes-côte D’azur, and the support of Purin Pictures.
Yeo told Variety: “With its high density and ever-present surveillance, the modern cityscape makes us unsuspecting witnesses to the lives of others and the act of watching and being watched becomes a part of daily ritual. ‘Stranger Eyes’ is a contemplation of these relationships at a time when our sense of connectedness through new channels of visual media feels limitless and yet alienated.”
Borgia added: “‘Stranger Eyes’ is a unique film that has been years in the making. Thanks to a dedicated and talented team, it has evolved into an international co-production that reflects the vibrant growth of the Asian independent film industry. We’re thrilled to share it with audiences in Venice and around the world.”
Watch the trailer here:
