Fan Bingbing, a popular actor in China, plays the lead role in Malaysian filmmaker Chong Keat Aun's upcoming film Mother Bhumi. The film revolves around farmers who live on the border of Malaysia and Thailand. It follows a farmer named Hong Im, who lost her spouse under circumstances not known to her. Im addresses her villagers' daily problems with black magic until she comes across a ghost, which shares a revealing detail about her husband's mysterious death. Bai Run-yin from Taiwan and Natalie Hsu from Hong Kong also star in the film as Im's children.
Chong made his directorial debut with The Story of the Southern Islet, which earned him Best New Director at the 2020 Golden Horse Awards. His sophomore feature Snow in Midsummer earned nine nominations at the 2023 Golden Horse Awards. On the other hand, Fan's films have been a regular fixture in the Asian and European festival circuits. The actor has worked in international cinema as well. Some of her popular international titles are director Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past and Green Night, with director Han Shuai.
Janji Pictures of Kew Soon Wong, which backed Chong's previous features, and Volos Films Italia of Stefano Centini are producing Mother Bhumi. Production on the film is underway, and the makers are expected to finish it by November. They are eyeing a mid-2025 release.
