Acclaimed Duo Huang Ji, Otsuka Ryuji Team Again for ‘A Woman Builds’

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran The acclaimed filmmaking duo Huang Ji and Otsuka Ryuji are completing their new feature film “A Woman Builds,” a multilingual drama exploring themes of independence, identity, and belonging in contemporary Asia.

Huang and Otsuka previously collaborated on “Stonewalling” (2022), which premiered at Venice and won the Golden Horse Award for best narrative feature, and “The Foolish Bird” (2017), which debuted at the Berlinale.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ With a budget of $622,000 and $339,000 already secured from private investors and producer participation, the project is seeking additional financing and sales partners at the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).

The film follows Lynn, a woman living separately from her husband Kenji and daughter in China, where she pursues her dream of building a house in her hometown, now evolving into a tourist destination.

Her growing attraction to a married colleague and confrontations with gender bias and bureaucracy complicate her journey, ultimately leading her to question the personal costs of her quest for independence. “During the pandemic, my husband took our daughter to Japan for school, while I remained in Beijing on my own,” explains Huang Ji, reflecting on the film’s autobiographical elements. “During our two-and-a-half-year separation, without a house or car, I felt unanchored and anxious.