Hassan (Sahal Zaman) is a Hong-Kong-born Pakistani kid waiting for refugee status to Canada. His father dies in a car accident that involves taxi driver Yat (Anthony Wong). An unexpected bond forms between the two when Hassan joins a refugees’ gang and is rescued by Yat during a police crackdown. However, Hassan soon discovers that Yat was responsible for his father’s death. (Sources: Golden Scene Cinema and Mubi)
This is a debut feature by Hong Kong based, Malaysian born director Lau Kok-rui who cut his teeth working on documentaries. The movie received six nominations at the 59th Golden Horse Awards in 2022. Lau won Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay, with Anthony Wong picking up Best Leading Actor.
The Sunny Side of the Street is produced by Petra Group’s Vinod Sekhar, Winnie Tsang from Golden Scene, as well as Soi Cheang (Limbo) and Peter Yam (Blue Island). It will screen in Competition at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023 this month with a theatrical release in Hong Kong on March 30, 2023.