05/12/2012 - 8th Film London Microwave film begins. Ben Whishaw stars

Cambodia-born, Vietnam-bred London-based filmmaker Hong Khaou (photo) has commenced principal photography at London locations on his debut feature Lilting. Khaouhas made a few acclaimed shorts and spent seven years with speciality distributor Peccadillo Pictures , managing their Home Entertainment department. His last short film, Spring, was selected for Sundance and Berlin, 2011.

Lilting tells the story of a mother’s attempt at understanding who her son is after his untimely death. Her world is suddenly disrupted by the presence of his lover. Together, they attempt to overcome their grief whilst struggling against not having a shared language. The film stars Ben Whishaw and Cheng Pei Pei.

Khaou’s directors vision states: “I want this film to have a strong aesthetic identity; it should look beautiful. It should punch above its weight and budget. The ingredients are there to achieve this. The set will give an alluring and yet surprising backdrop. The camera will move in circular or continuous motion between the past and present. I would say these are the threads that will hold the film together and give it a clear distinctive personality. These techniques are not vacuous showoff display of our skills, they are considered ideas that are very much integral to the themes of the film – achievable within a micro-budget framework.”

The film is the 8th funded by Film London’s micro-budget Microwave scheme. Additional support is from BBC Films, Stink Films and SUMS Film and Media.