Eddie Liu (Kung Fu, Never Have I Ever, Silicon Valley), and Golden Horse Film Award winners Chen Shu-Fang (Little Big Women, Dear Tenant) and Leon Dai (Your Name Engraved Herein, Cannot Live Without You), are set to star in the upcoming feature film Chopin, a first-generation Taiwanese-American immigrant story set in suburban America. Chen Shu-Fang and Leon Dai cemented their legacy in film history with over 90 years combined acting in television and feature films out of Taiwan, rising the ranks to become among the country's most notable talents.
Chopin is the feature directorial debut from decorated commercial director Vincent Lin of Valiant Pictures, whose co-founder Matthew D'Amato is on as Executive Producer (Clementine, Snakehead). Casting directors include Ashley Ingram and Michael D'Amato (The United States vs. Billie Holiday, When They See Us). With HuiChieh Danielle Yen of Select Entertainment TW serving as consultant and production partner. Production starts early 2023.
Synopsis: Chopin tells the story of Chopin Wu (Eddie Liu), who returns home to small-town America where he grew up to amend an estranged relationship with his workaholic father (Leon Dai). With a sudden appearance from his ailing grandmother (Chen Shu-Fang), he is confronted by a past he had left behind. In the midst of a health crisis and a broken family, Chopin is forced to re-examine old relationships, embrace a heritage he once denied, and discover the importance of family and identity.
Notes Lin, “As a first-generation Taiwanese American, like many first-generation immigrants, we grew up between two worlds. This generational, language, and cultural gap created a dissonance that often translated into misunderstandings, prejudice, and dissension within our own families as well as the community and relationships around us. Drawing upon my personal upbringing of immigrant family assimilation, the story of Chopin explores bridging that gap and what it means to be Asian American… And is that any different than being simply American?”
Liu is repped by Greene & Associates Talent Agency. Chen Shu-Fang and Leon Dai are repped and managed by Select Entertainment TW.
Biographies:
Eddie Liu is an American actor who was born in Queens, New York to Chinese immigrant parents. His first major television credit was a recurring role on HBO's Emmy-nominated comedy Silicon Valley and a guest-starring role on Comedy Central's Broad City and Time Traveling Bong. Liu's breakout role was in Mindy Kaling's international hit Never Have I Ever on Netflix. Eddie portrays Henry Yan, one of the main characters heading into Season 3 of The CW's Kung Fu.
In November of 2020, Chen Shu-Fang (陳淑芳) made history as the oldest recipient of a Golden Horse acting award. After an acting career spanning over 60 years, she became the first person in the History of the Golden Horse Film Awards to win Best Supporting Actress as well as Best Leading Actress in the same year. Chen won Best Leading Actress for Little Big Women (孤味), in which she plays a mother of three daughters who has to deal with her runaway husband's funeral, alongside his secret lover. She won Best Supporting Actress in the film Dear Tenant (親愛的房客）, where she moved audiences with her strong portrayal of an aging grandmother made vulnerable by a terminal illness.
One of the most sought-after leading men in Taiwan, Leon Dai (戴立忍) has earned two Golden Bell Awards for Best Leading Actor in a television series, as well as a grand total of 14 nominations and seven wins from the Golden Horse Film Festival. His film Cannot Live Without You (不能没有你) won five awards at the 46th Golden Horse Film Awards, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Feature Film, Outstanding Film of the Year, and the Audience Choice Award. Leon has played a wide variety of characters throughout his career, including the vulnerable Chang Jia-Han, who mended a broken heart in Your Heart Engraved Herein (刻在你心底的名字), winner of the Best Supporting Actor at Osaka Film Festival, as well as the rough-around-the-edges, yet incredibly funny gangster with a heart of gold in Elena (愛琳娜). With a career spanning many decades, Leon has solidified his lifelong legacy within Taiwanese Cinema.
About Valiant Pictures
Valiant Pictures is an independent production company on a journey to share memorable stories that connect and inspire. Our diverse roster of award-winning filmmakers brings fresh and unique perspectives to fearlessly create powerful narratives across all forms of media.
About Select Entertainment TW
Select Entertainment Co., Ltd. is a film, television, and media company based in Taipei, specializing in original content creation, international co-production, international production services, and talent management. Founder HuiChieh ‘Danielle' Yen established Select Entertainment in 2020 with the vision of creating a diversified creative platform and transforming the Taiwanese film market into a major player on the world stage. The Select team is comprised of passionate film professionals from Taiwan, the US, and Germany who bring to each project decades of combined domestic and international filmmaking experience from companies such as Pixar Animation Studios, prestigious training programs such as the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris, and under acclaimed directors such as Tsui Hark.
The name “Select” reflects Select Entertainment's strict adherence to quality. Since its founding, the company has helped to produce works such as the 2020 Golden Horse award-winning film “Your Name Engraved Herein” (Canadian locations) and signed talents such as the Golden Horse Award winners Ricky Ho (film composing), Leon Dai (Best Director, Original Screenplay, and Supporting Actor), and Zach Ireland. Select maintains a close partnership with Glassbox Technologies, a leading developer of LED virtual production stage technology, allowing filmmakers to use cutting-edge real-time imaging to expand the scope of what can be filmed at a fraction of the cost of a traditional film. Ongoing works to be released in 2023 include “The Yani Tseng Story” by the makers of the award-winning documentary “Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story”, the feature film “Sonya,” directed by Chris Pong and executive produced by Wai-But Tang and the animated VR climate-change short film “Eisbär: A Fantastical Journey.”
