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Hong Kong-based Cappu Films has taken on sales beyond Australia and New Zealand for “Her Last Laugh,” Joy Hopwood’s Australian dramedy featuring Peter Thurnwald (“XO, Kitty”) and Ana Thu Nguyen (“Mortal Kombat II”).
The finished film is being introduced to buyers at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents & Film Market.
Hopwood wrote, directed and produced the film. Tiana Hogben, Kya Stewart, Lyanna Kea, Tony Goh and Australia’s John Waters round out the cast.
The story centers on Willow and Annika Lim, Chinese Australian sisters who are left their late mother’s casting agency with a catch attached. Unless the business turns a profit inside 12 months, it passes to their estranged uncle. With clients walking out and a competitor putting the agency’s standing at risk, the siblings scramble to save both their income and what their mother built.
Willow, a one-time teen star now employed as a casting assistant, carries most of the strain. Annika parks her own plans to pitch in. A budding romance, along with a set of family diaries the sisters uncover, pushes the pair to rethink their inheritance and what is worth holding onto.
Produced by Joy House Productions, the film extends Hopwood’s run of stories about relationships and Chinese Australian life. Her earlier features include “It’s Our Time,” “The Gift That Gives,” “Get a Life Alright,” “Rhapsody of Love” and “The Script of Life.”
“We are delighted to be represented by Cappu Films and excited about the opportunity to bring ‘Her Last Laugh’ to international audiences through mainstream streaming platforms, following our Australian theatrical release in November,” said Hopwood.
“As an independent Australian filmmaker, I believe it is important to share culturally diverse stories that resonate across borders. Our cast and crew have poured their hearts into this film, and we hope audiences around the world will connect with its humor, heart and celebration of cultural diversity. We are proud to be bringing our 6th Asian Australian story to the global screen,” she added.
Janice Woo of Cappu Films said: “Joy brings humor and warmth to a story about two sisters finding their own way while preserving their mother’s legacy. We look forward to introducing the film to buyers in Busan and working with Joy to reach audiences internationally.”
Cappu is using the market to meet distributors and other possible partners on the title, with available rights to be confirmed on a per-territory basis.
The company’s Busan lineup also includes “Fox Hunt,” toplined by Tony Leung Chiu-wai; Shan Jiang’s Tribeca title “Ephemera”; “Operation Doolittle,” a WWII spy series running nine hourlong episodes; Erica Xia-Hou’s Slamdance selection “Banr”; martial arts film “Lion Fist”; and “Zombie Plane,” an action comedy with Vanilla Ice, Sophie Monk and Chuck Norris.
