Filming has begun around Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge for a Canadian/Korean production written, directed, and starring Vancouver-based actor Anthony Shim.
Riceboy Sleeps tells the story of a Korean single mother and her adolescent son living as immigrants in North America during the 1990s. Shim’s inspiration for the film – which addresses the themes of family, grief, and cultural identity – came from his own childhood experiences.
Filming started Aug. 16 at various locations around town including: Edith McDermott Elementary; Pitt Meadows Secondary; E One Moli Energy; and Allco Park.
The communities of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows are the only two communities – outside of Vancouver – in which Shim is filming.
“Suburban Lower Mainland locations were desired by the director,” said Nicola Pender, a spokesperson for the production.
“The locations align with the story and his upbringing along with architecture specific to the era,” noted Pender, adding Shim grew up in Coquitlam.
The film stars Ethan Hwang (The Umbrella Academy), Hunter Dillon (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Deadpool 2), Anthony Shim (Star Trek Beyond, The Man in the High Castle) and newcomer Choi Seung Yoon.
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Riceboy Sleeps is Shim’s sophomore feature film. His award-winning debut feature Daughter premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2019 and travelled the globe on the festival circuit before being picked up by CBC Gem in Canada and becoming available on Amazon Prime in the U.S.
Riceboy Sleeps features the talents of director of photography Christopher Lew (Quickening TIFF ’21, White Lie TIFF ’19) who will be shooting on 16mm, composer Andrew Yong Hoon Lee and production designer Louisa Birkin (Two Sentence Horror Stories, Unicorn Code Cannes).
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It is produced by Lonesome Heroes Productions, Kind Stranger Productions, and A Lasting Dose Productions, and is supported by Telefilm Canada, Crave, and The Harold Greenberg Fund.
Filming will be wrapping up locally Sept. 3 before the team heads to South Korea.
Have a story tip? Email: cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
