Invisible Stories, a six-episode half-hour drama series which shines light into dark corners and tells untold stories from the heartlands and a fictional neighbourhood housing estate in multi-cultural Singapore, is HBO Asia’s first entry at the 2019 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and the first production to be screened at the 30th Singapore International Film Festival’s (SGIFF) Singapore Panorama section.
Scheduled to premiere early 2020 on HBO Asia’s on-air, online and on-demand platforms, Invisible Stories brings to life stories of everyday people – their joy, their struggles, their sacrifice, with each episode following one neighbour as he or she navigates through everyday life and its challenges.
The first episode, which revolves around the lives of a single mother and her autistic son played by Golden Horse Award winner Yeo Yann Yann (‘ILO ILO’, ‘881’ and ‘Singapore Dreaming’) and Taiwanese newcomer Devin Pan respectively, will make its global debut at the 2019 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival – “Shorts: Beyond the Edge” section on 16 November.
The first two episodes of Invisible Stories will be presented in the Singapore Panorama section at SGIFF, which spotlights Singapore’s dynamic filmmakers and their stories that reflect the realities of contemporary society.
An iconic event in the Singapore arts calendar, SGIFF, which takes place from 21 November to 1 December 2019, is also recognised internationally as both the discovery ground of Southeast Asian independent cinema, and an enabler in nurturing the next generation of storytellers.
The second episode, which will make its worldwide debut at SGIFF, stars veteran Singapore actor Wang Yu Qing (‘Hello From The Other Side’ and ‘Reach For The Skies’) who plays a taxi driver by day and a spiritual medium by night.
The series is created by Singaporean Ler Jiyuan with a team of local writers, produced by Singapore-based production house Birdmandog, and features a regional cast from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore.
Invisible Stories is produced as part of a two-year partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in Singapore. Through a series of workshops and collaborations with local companies and talent on HBO Asia Original productions, the partnership aims to develop the content production capabilities of Singapore’s media industry.
HBO Asia started producing Original productions in 2012 and has produced a range of Asian Original productions including series, movies and documentaries. To date, HBO Asia has produced and aired 18 Asian Original productions with more in the pipeline.
