JOSIE HO TO PRODUCE AND STAR IN MYSTERY DRAMA FEATURE “MOTHER TONGUE” FROM 852 FILMS
The star-studded and diverse cast includes Julian Sands (A Room with a View), Elaine Yam Ling Jin (Mad World), Canon Nawata (Love Dart), Minami and Josie Ho herself.
Toronto, Ontario, Feb. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Josie Ho (‘Contagion,’ ‘Lucky Day,’ and ‘Rajah’), an eight-time award-winning actress and producer, will star in the subversive Arthouse suspense thriller film ‘Mother Tongue’ this year in association with Hong Kong production company 852 Films. Josie Ho, a recipient of the coveted Sitges Time Machine Award, will produce ‘Mother Tongue’ alongside celebrated producer and 852 Films co-founder Conroy Chan, who has created ground-breaking features such as ‘Dream Home’ and ‘Open Grave,’ The Heavenly Kings,’ and produced Cannes Film Festival nominee ‘How to Talk to Girls at Parties.’
The darkly gripping ‘Mother Tongue’ will be directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Mike Figgis, who has directed an array of critically acclaimed films including ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ and ‘Internal Affairs’. It will be written by the prolific Bruce Wagner (‘Map to the Stars,’ ‘Wild Palms,’ ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’). The star-studded and diverse cast includes Julian Sands (A Room with a View), Elaine Yam Ling Jin (‘Mad World’), Canon Nawata (Love Dart), Minami and Josie Ho herself. Shooting in Hong Kong will start this February-April, with the film set to be released in January 2022.
‘Mother Tongue’ is a twisted thriller that explores themes of family, loss and belonging through the experiences of its protagonist, an Academy Award-winning actress named Wao, played by Josie Ho. Wao has a dramatic secret: when she was younger, she gave birth to a daughter who she had to give away due to her own financial instability. Now a rich and successful actress, Wao desperately wants to find her daughter and hires a detective to do so. At the same time, she is engaged in a high-profile relationship with a much younger woman named Starling, played by Minami (‘Battle Royale’), who doesn’t know about the search. All Starling wants from Wao is love, but as Wao becomes increasingly engrossed in her personal quest and begins to find out more about the daughter she was forced to give up, the secrecy starts to wear on their relationship. Josie Ho also plays Mustang, the bitter and self-destructive elder sister of Wao’s character, who has her own personal demons to battle. As the family’s identity is challenged by shocking new discoveries, its members are pushed to extreme actions and we are left wondering whether this dark and deviant Greek tragedy will find salvation.
Josie’s starring role both as Wao and her elder sister Mustang is an utter tour-de-force, showcasing her superb ability to play diverse and morally complex characters with depth and finesse. Josie currently has numerous exciting projects in the pipeline for 2021. ‘Habit’, an indie film set for release later this year, will see Josie starring alongside a glittering cast of actors/musicians such as Bella Thorne, Jamie Hince, Soko and Gavin Rosdale. She will also star in ‘Rajah’, an epic period-drama in which she plays Sir James Brooke’s lover. Josie is also collaborating with fabled director Tony Kaye (American History X, Detachment) and on two separate films with the pioneering director Luc Besson (‘Leon The Professional,’ ‘Lucy’).
About 852 Films
Founded in 2007, 852 Films is a globally recognized international film entertainment company. It set out to develop original stories and pursue projects that are independent and alternative to the mainstream. 852 Films works with top tier talent from Hollywood to Asia and produces compelling content for modern film and television audiences. 852’s ‘Dream Home’ released in 2010 garnered nominations at the Hong Kong, Taiwan Golden Horse and Sitges Film Festival. Their production “Revenge A Love Story” received awards at the Puchon, Taiwan Golden Horse and Moscow Film Festival. 2015 saw 852 Films win best film at Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Awards for sports comedy ‘Full Strike,’ which was also selected for Osaka Asian Film Festival. 852 Films also helped produce John Cameron Mitchell’s “How to Talk To Girls At Parties” in 2017 starred Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman, which was a nominee at the Cannes Film Festival.
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