International sales and finance company EST N8 has secured worldwide rights to the Taiwanese action crime thriller Dead End, directed by Chan Chun-hao, and launched the title to buyers around the world at the Cannes Film Market.
The film centers on Shengyi Hayashi, a former baseball star whose career was ruined by a match-fixing scandal. Years later, he returns to his hometown and discovers that the locals are betting money on the exact time his terminally ill father will die. With sunrise as his deadline, he looks back on his troubled history and works towards dismantling the syndicate behind the conspiracy. This story is based on real-world reports of underground death gambling circles recorded in Taiwan.
The cast will be led by Daniel Hong, who received a double Golden Horse nomination for “Miss Shampoo” and “Mongrel,” which was selected for Cannes. Joining him will be Golden Melody Award winner Ng Ki-ping, whose recent work includes “G Branch,” and Taipei Film Award winner and Golden Horse Award nominee Yao Yi-ti, known for “Dead Talent Society.”
Zhang is an alumnus of the Golden Horse Film Academy, whose work “Viatical Settlement” was nominated for the Golden Bell Award seven times. His 2025 series “The Outlaw Doctor” won Best Asian Content at the Global OTT Awards in Busan and swept the major categories at the Golden Bell Awards.
EST. EST said N8 studio head Sophie See.
“With ‘Dead End,’ we wanted to explore what second chances cost when time literally runs out. It’s a proud moment for the team at EST N8 to be champions for this film at Cannes, because they truly understand the nuances of bringing a bold, contemporary Taiwanese story to the world stage,” added director Chan.
The film is produced by Taipei-based inJECT Films, and the project is supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and TAICCA. The deal was negotiated by Sean and Kathy Nee for EST N8 and producer Vincent Cheng for inJECT Films.
“‘Dead End’ is a story from the shadows of our society, and I can’t wait for audiences around the world to experience this journey,” Chen said.
“Dead End” will be included in the Cannes EST N8 lineup, which also includes IFFR Big Screen Award winner “Master” from director Rezwan Shahryar Sumit. Danur: The Final Chapter, directed by Awi Suryadi, is the final installment of Indonesia’s groundbreaking horror series and is Indonesia’s highest-grossing film of 2026. And Kimo Stamboel’s “Janur Iren” will be a prequel to the 2023 box office hit “Seu Dino.” “Dear Stranger,” directed by Tetsuya Mariko and starring Hidetoshi Nishijima and Gwei Lunmei, is also scheduled. “The Invisible Half” was chosen by Raindance. and Julie Pacino’s Fantasia premiere of “I Live Here Now.”
EST N8 was formed by the combination of EST Studio, founded in 2022 by Jason Ma and Eric Too, and N8, a Bangkok-based studio launched in 2023 by Chris Iamsakrat and Rachel Y. Wu.
