‘The Crow,’ ‘1899’ Star Isabella Wei Headlines British-Chinese Comedy-Drama ‘High Wire’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Emerging star from Hong Kong, Isabella Wei, headlines Silent D Pictures’ comedy-drama “High Wire.”
The film follows the story of Go-wing, a British-Chinese takeaway girl who discovers her inner strength and artistic bravery when a circus comes to her small English town. As Go-wing navigates the challenges of her dual cultural identity, she finds herself at a crossroads and must decide between conforming to societal expectations or forging her own path towards her dreams. The film pays homage to the first and second generations of Chinese immigrants and their journey to adapt to life in England whilst facing issues of systemic racism and discrimination.
Wei’s breakout performance was in Netflix’s mystery sci-fi series “1899,” where she played the enigmatic Ling Yi, a geisha. Wei is also set to appear in Rupert Sanders’ much anticipated reboot of “The Crow” alongside Bill Skarsgård, Danny Huston and FKA Twigs.
The role of Go-wing’s father is played by popular Hong Kong actor Dominic Lam (“Big Brother”). The cast also includes British actor Elizabeth Tan (“Emily in Paris”), Costa Rican actor Jose Palma (“The Batman) and Indonesia’s Nino Fernandez (“Guardian”). In addition, the film features top circus performers from Circus Extreme, which partnered with the production exclusively for the project. The casting has been led by Ajo Kacmar.
The film is directed by Hong Kong director Calif Chong, whose 2019 short “Underneath” was much acclaimed. It is produced by Djonny Chen from Silent D Pictures, a prolific U.K.-based company whose recent credits include “Dragged Up Dirty” featuring Michelle Ryan (“Bionic Woman”), “Parallel” featuring James Cosmo (“Game of Thrones”), “Cookster,” “Thirteen Cars,” “White Crow,” “Mr. Doom,” “Tanpa Ampun” and “Before Night Falls,” which shot up to the top three of 2022 national box office in Indonesia during its countrywide theatrical release run. Producing alongside Chen are Sawan Singh from MoneySpinner Productions, Sanjeev Bhanot of Mars Media and Tippy Watson from Make A Difference Films.
“High Wire” is currently in production and is scheduled for delivery in 2024.
Wei is represented globally by Benchmark Management.
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