Brillante Mendoza’s Crime Drama ‘Chameleon’ Picked Up By Sc Films International For Sales Launch In Cannes
Exclusive: London-based Sc Films International has picked up Brillante Mendoza’s latest film project, Chameleon, for worldwide sales ahead of the Cannes market.
Currently in post-production, the Philippines-Japan crime drama focuses on a Filipino transgender dancer named Marie (played by Mariko Ledesma) who joins the Japanese Yakuza underworld. Set in early 2000s Sapporo, Japan, Marie becomes entangled with the dangerous Yakuza world after an immigration raid pushes her into the orbit of the deadly Yakuza. Desperate, she takes a job at the Chameleon club and quickly becomes a favorite of the Yakuza boss, named Shimamura. Marie must find a way to escape even though the promise of freedom may be fleeting.
First footage from the film will be available during Cannes, with the film receiving support from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs. Production took place over two years in Japan.
Chameleon stars veteran Japanese actor Eiji Okuda as Yakuza boss Shimamura, alongside Tsuyoshi Ihara, Rina Takeda (Attack on Titan) and Shogen (Gensan Punch).
Besides Ledesma, Filipino actors in Chameleon include Ruby Ruiz, Gigi Hernandez and Vince Rillon.
Mendoza won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 for his feature film Kinatay.
Troy Espiritu, who also served as a writer on Mendoza’s 2016 Cannes entry Ma’ Rosa, penned the screenplay for Chameleon alongside Mendoza.
Chameleon is produced by the same group of producers who previously collaborated on boxing biopic Gensan Punch, which won the Kim Jiseok Award at the 2021 Busan International Film Festival. Producers include Takahiro Yamashita from Japan’s Yaman Films, Krisma Maclang Fajardo of The Philippines’ Center Stage Productions, UK-based Fumie Suzuki Lancaster of Sc Films International and Bobo.
The film is also executive produced by Yoshi and Hironobu Arai , with music composed by Yoshihiro Hanno (Mountains May Depart).
“We’re thrilled to reunite with director Brillante Mendoza and his outstanding team,” said Lancaster, who serves as one of the film’s producers. “This powerful comeback film is deeply rooted in Mendoza’s unique vision, shedding light on the untold stories of Filipinos who came to Japan in the early 2000s with hopes and dreams of a better life. Following our successful collaboration on Gensan Punch, an HBO Original that won acclaim at the Busan International Film Festival, we are proud to continue supporting Brillante’s bold storytelling on the global stage.”
