Director Yeo Shu Hwa is set to adapt Jesse Ball’s novel The Silence Begins for his next film, with Singapore’s Akanga Film Asia securing the rights and planning to announce the project at the Cannes Film Market.
Producer and Akanga founder Fran Borgia is developing the film as an extensive co-production across Singapore, Japan, and partners in Asia and Europe. This is the same framework Akanga used for Chie Hayakawa’s Renoir (Cannes 2025) and Tan Shiyu’s Ameba (Toronto 2025). Yeo is currently working on a film adaptation, with production scheduled for 2028.
Ball’s novel, set in Japan, follows a journalist whose wife suddenly falls silent. Journalists focus on Sotatsu Oda, a man who admits to a series of disappearances but refuses to say anything after he surrenders to the police. Everyone around the suspect has testimony, but Sotatsu, who is prepared for the death penalty, does not do so.
“I’m really drawn to this story about what it means to be silent and keep promises, especially in a world full of noise and distractions. We all know about the power of words, but what is the value of silence? I find Jesse Ball’s novels to be profound and mysterious, and it’s a real joy for me to bring this interesting interrogation of the human heart to life on screen,” said director Yeo.
“I wrote When the Silence Begins as a novel of social criticism, where silence and rejection are the only outlets for the visionary within humans. The story is even more timely now than when it was written, and I’m delighted to see Shu Hua’s incredible talent turn this book into a film. It’s a dark story, but it’s a story of love, and I think it’s a story of hope,” Ball added.
“We were fascinated by the cinematic potential of the character of Jesse. Our goal is to build a strong international co-production that respects the tone of the book while producing a film that speaks to the power of silence,” said director Borgia.
Yeo and Borgia previously collaborated on A Land Imagined, which won the Golden Leopard Award at Locarno in 2018. Yeo’s latest film Stranger Eyes (2024) became the first Singaporean film to win a competition slot in Venice.
Ball is an American novelist, poet, and educator whose books include How and Why to Start a Fire, The Census, and The Repeat Room. He is repped by Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. and CAA. Borgia’s other recent productions include Rima Das’ “Not A Hero,” which premiered at the 2026 Berlinale.
