Chinese director Juno Hong submitted his debut feature “Only the Moon Knows” to the Shanghai International Film Festival’s SIFF project, where it was selected as one of three international co-production projects announced at the market.
The film revolves around Chen Jun, a Chinese student working the night shift at a 24-hour convenience store, who forms an unexpected bond with an elderly homeless woman who takes shelter there every night. When Cheng Jun finishes his studies and prepares to return home, their friendship reaches a breaking point, just as the old woman’s situation takes an unexpected turn.
This project draws directly from Hong’s own experience studying and working abroad. The script is complete, the budget is set at RMB 2 million ($296,000), and 10% of funding is secured. Mr. Hong is currently seeking international co-producers and financing partners, with a particular focus on post-production collaborators and international distribution companies.
“‘Only the Moon Knows’ has a completely different feel to it because it’s very personal,” Hong says. “In my past projects, my role has primarily been to help others realize their visions. However, this debut work is a story that comes directly from my own life and personal experiences.”
Although Only the Moon Knows is his first time in the director’s chair, Hong has gained considerable field experience as a script supervisor and coordinator on several Chinese independent productions, including The Last Summer, Fish, and Zhao Hao’s upcoming debut If I See A Rainbow. She is currently based in Beijing and is pursuing a graduate degree from Dongguk University Graduate School of Digital Image & Content in South Korea.
“I believe that the most effective way to develop a unique voice as a director is to be absolutely honest about your own weaknesses,” Hong says. “Loneliness is a universal human symptom, but how it manifests varies from culture to culture. By setting the story cross-culturally, I highlight the initial loneliness that accompanies language and cultural barriers. I am not trying to recreate stylistic metaphors; instead, I focus on the realistic, microscopic details of everyday life that I have witnessed firsthand.”
Hong explained that his funding approach is centered around partners who value independent, cross-cultural films over purely commercial considerations. “Our funding strategy focuses on international co-productions and the Cultural Film Fund,” she says. “We are looking for a partner who does not see this as just a commercial venture, but who deeply understands and appreciates the artistic merits of independent, cross-cultural films.”
