TIFF favorite Mina Shum has a new project on the horizon. The Canadian filmmaker is set to write, direct, and exec produce “This Is Always,” a feature film in development at Amazon Studios. Deadline broke the news.
The “Meditation Park” filmmaker has signed on to the film, which is based on popular Japanese television series “Pure Soul” and will follow “two forty-somethings who feel perfectly content living their lives free of commitment until they meet one another.” The synopsis asks: “When a tragic unforeseen incident turns their lives upside down, can they still be perfect for each other?”
Daniel Dae Kim is expected to star in addition to producing via his production company, 3AD. Also on board as producer are 3AD’s John Cheng, and Motoko Kimura, who created and produced “Pure Soul.”
Shum is the writer-director of feature films “Drive, She Said,” “Ninth Floor,” “Long Life, Happiness, and Prosperity,” “Meditation Park,” and “Double Happiness” — the latter three star her frequent collaborator, Sandra Oh. All five films enjoyed world premieres at Toronto International Film Festival, and earned the filmmaker numerous awards, including Best Canadian Feature Film at TIFF for “Double Happiness.” Shum has also directed for television, including multiple episodes of Canadian series “Frankie Drake Mysteries” and “Murdoch Mysteries.” Last year she participated alongside eight other women directors for short film anthology project “One (Nine),” which was inspired by the isolation of lockdown.
Kimura has produced various series for Japanese television, including “Hotel Concierge,” “Higanjima,” and “Higanjima: Love Is Over.”
No word yet on who will star opposite Kim.