Snow in Midsummer (film)

Snow in Midsummer is set in Kuala Lumpur at two different periods of time: first on May 13, 1969, and then, on May 13, 2018; it revolves around Ah Eng, a young woman, and her mother who lose contact with the father and brother of the first amid political riots, in the first part, and, in a second chapter, the remembrance of this moment 49 years later.

• Wan Fang as Ah Eng
• Pearlly Chua as Dou E
• Rexen Cheng as Hokkien Boy
• Pauline Tan as Eng's mother
• Peter Yu as Kooi
• Alvin Wong as Fong

Snow in Midsummer is a Malaysia–Singapore–Taiwan co-production and marks Chong Keat Aun’s second feature film, following The Story of Southern Islet (2020).^[9][10] The film is executive produced by Jment Lim, founder of SunStrong Entertainment ^[11] and Chow Wai Thong, founder of August Pictures.

The project received early recognition with the ‘French CNC Cash Award’ at the 2020 Golden Horse Film Project Promotion ^[12][13], and was supported by the Singapore Film Commission (SFC)’s Southeast Asia Co-production Grant (SCPG), TAICCA's Taiwan International Co-funding Programme (TICP) ^[14] and the Taipei Film Fund from the Taipei Film Commission (TFC).^[15]

Principal photography was completed in August 2022.^[16]

Snow in Midsummer deals with the 13 May incident.^[19][20][21]

The film is also described as follows: "Perhaps best of all, it’s a loving depiction of traditional Chinese opera, with the first part of the film set among the milieu of live performance and the second part paying a wistful tribute to the art form."^[22]

The two chapters of the films are associated with a classic Chinese play of the Yuan dynasty, that gives its title to the film, Snow in Midsummer (also commonly referred to as The Injustice to You E or Snow in June and later adapted into opera). The play explores the themes of corrupt powers and wrongful legal decisions. In an interview, Chong Keat Aun underlined the connection between the political background and the presence of the play in the film: "The Chinese opera “Snow in June” holds significant importance in the film’s narrative. Chong Keat Aun explains that on that fateful night in May, an opera singer died and was buried in the same cemetery. During his research, he discovered a member of that opera troupe who revealed that they were performing “Snow in June,” an ancient story dating back to the Ming Dynasty. This story revolves around women who suffer abuse and escape their hometown, making a solemn vow: if they are truly innocent, snow will fall even in the summertime. Chong Keat Aun sought to intertwine the film’s narrative with that of the opera, creating a layered and poignant storytelling experience."^[21]