Beyond the Meiwenti short film contests, Meiwenti and its members have taken part in many short film projects over the years. Some of these have gone on to receive attention in International film festivals.
Shanghai 2020
The latest Meiwenti film project is SHANGHAI 2020.
Meiwenti Productions is doing a community-based film project to create a near-future (year 2020) science fiction/ action film. (Think something like Johnnie neumonic or Matrix or some of the William Gibson "Neuromancer" or other "cyber punk" stuff ... just more simple on the visual effects.)
We are a mix of professional talents, (including some pro CGI and visual effects) and energetic amateurs coming together to make a low budget but high quality film... We are producing this 15-20 minute short as a part of the development of a feature film based on the same concept and to demonstrate how powerful and talented the filmmaking community is in Shanghai.
Want to be involved? More information:
Contact Juan Vargas : shanghai2020@meiwentiproductions.com
SYNOPSIS
In the year 2020, Shanghai is the cool, hi-tech financial centre of the world… and it’s a battleground! Shanghai is the home of RedHong and Biotronikal, the two mega-corporations that control neo-marketing, a vertical business model based on implanting chips on people to monitor and manipulate their consuming behaviour. Sounds evil? Well, it’s all been orchestrated by Cruella de Vil’s role model, Miss van Horn, and her archenemies from Biotronikal.
Xiao Du, a dog toy designer, minding his own business in his pursuit of a happy, simple life, gets unwittingly wrapped up in a world of corporate intrigue and freedom fighters when the RedHong Neoworld Tower is blown to pieces two days before its inauguration. Initially, it seem like the rivalry between the two companies has escalated to a new level, but it turns out that the attack on the empty building was the work of an unknown terrorist group led by a handsome and cunning man who calls himself Che.
Xiao Du is kidnapped by Thunder, a feisty terrorist woman, and both are chased by RedHong’s private security force: the one-and-only, sexy SWAT Chicks! And right behind them is the blood-thirsty Delete Key, Biotronikal’s own hired gun.
Shanghai 2020 is not your ordinary action film packed with car chases on elevated highways, sexy women, fancy cars and special effects. It is all that but produced by an independent community of filmmakers, whose resourcefulness make up for not having a multi-million dollar budget. How’s that for daring?
Feature film screening - Drowning by James Z Feng
SYNOPSIS
Our story is about Calvin, the son of a controlling single mother and the best friend to a loving big brother. Then tragedy takes away Jimmy. Left alone with his mother, Calvin struggles to reclaim the purpose he previously set out for his life. Nine years after his brother's untimely death, Calvin must now make a conscious choice: Pursue his dream as an artist or become a shadow of his mother's expectations. With an ending sure to shock, this film is about anyone who has ever dared to dream, but was turned away.
Official Film Website:
http://www.jamesfeng.com/drowning.htm
Other:
The film has just received its first Official Selection from DC Independent Film Festival (1800 films, 100 official selections from around the world).
Feature film project - Father John
Golden Quill Productions in cooperation with Meiwenti Productions brings you Father John. From the pen of scriptwriter Steve Long and directed by Richard Trombly, Father John is a cloak and dagger thriller in the Hitchcock tradition. This feature length film is scheduled to be shot in May and capitalize on the dynamic backdrop of Shanghai. Operating on a micro-budget, Golden Quill Productions is relying on Meiwenti to activate the film community to support this effort. Meiwenti is also assisting in locating sponsors and investors in this unique film experiment.
SYNOPSIS
He is the nicest spy you could ever meet within the London intelligence community… He has just been re-assigned to Shanghai. His whole world is about to change!
"Father" John is aptly named for his gentle ways and reputation for always getting critical intelligence and "confessions" from even the hardest of sources. His style is uniquely suited to London, from polite society to the mean streets. He has it all - the respect of his office, a covert love affair and prospects for promotion after successfully unveiling a terrorist plot. That is, until one of his sources ends up dead, his cover is blown and a contract is issued on his life so John is reassigned.
Shanghai is modern and international with a bright and shiny skyline, but there is a dark underbelly beneath it all. John finds a complex web of relationships and intrigue that takes him deep into the dark “long tang” lanes and the labyrinthine Xikumens of the real Shanghai. He must learn in this new environment to distinguish enemies from allies in this unfamiliar environment. Will John be able to navigate these turbulent waters and bring down the terrorists before they can carry out their contact on his life?
Today is the Day
Scriptwriter and director Juan Vargas is currently seeking funding for his second feature film.
Today is the Day is a story about a flight attendant who learns from a fortune teller that she will die the next day in a fiery plane crash. Though she is not sure she believes a fortune teller, upon reflection, she realizes that she has not really been living the life she wanted. Rather than fight against this fate and take a day off from flying, she embraces the chance to live life fully as if it was her last day. There is a backdrop of other characters interwoven into this tapestry of ironic fate.
In 2001, Jack Ilmonen produced a 30-minute WW2 submarine war movie, U-102, which was broadcast at the FST TV-channel in 2004 in Finland. Meiwenti has subtitled this film and is arranging a public showing in Shanghai.
Writer and Director Richard Trombly will present a short film made with the assistance of the Meiwenti network community. One scene was shot with over 40 extras and a 10-person crew mostly acquired through Meiwenti. Post production was handled courtesy of Meiwenti.
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