Blending horror with Eastern spiritual beliefs, Taiwanese film Revive will explore the intersection between grief, technology, and the unknown, Deadline reports.
Danny Tseng will make his feature directorial debut on the project, which follows a struggling artist who returns home after her estranged mother’s death and turns to REVIVE, an advanced funerary service that restores the deceased.
As her life is reshaped under its influence — reviving her stalled career while quietly eroding her sense of self — the bereaved artist is confronted by a series of unexplained tragedies that force her to question whether the presence guiding her life is truly her mother at all.
Lester Hsi (The Bridge Curse) & Fiona Hu of Taiwan-based D-Day Pictures and Nelson Mok of Singapore-based Mokster Films are producing. It marks their second collaboration following Phantom, an invisible man horror movie currently in post-production.
Slated to shoot in Taiwan at the end of the year, Revive has already won awards at Taiwan Creative Content Fest and Golden Horse Film Project Promotion.
“I began my journey making short films and new technologies opened doors for my work to be seen and recognized at international competitions,” said Tseng.”Now, as I move into theatrical feature filmmaking, I’m driven by the desire to bring my stories to the big screen and connect with audiences in cinemas.”
Hu added, “With Revive, we wanted to explore how technology reshapes our relationship with memory and loss – and how dependence on it can delay acceptance, distorting reality and allowing something far more dangerous to take hold.”
Mokster Films is handling international sales on the project and will introduce it to buyers at next week’s Cannes film market.