{"id":210,"date":"2026-05-19T07:34:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T07:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=210"},"modified":"2026-05-19T07:34:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T07:34:59","slug":"locarno-winners-reunite-for-jesse-ball-adaptation-silence-once-begun-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=210","title":{"rendered":"Locarno Winners Reunite for Jesse Ball Adaptation \u2018Silence Once Begun\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tDirector Yeo Siew Hua will adapt Jesse Ball\u2019s novel \u201cSilence Once Begun\u201d as his next feature, with Singapore\u2019s Akanga Film Asia securing the rights and announcing the project at the Cannes Film Market.<\/p>\n

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\n\tProducer and Akanga founder Fran Borgia is developing the film as a wide-ranging co-production spanning Singapore, Japan, and partners across Asia and Europe \u2013 the same framework Akanga used for Chie Hayakawa\u2019s \u201cRenoir\u201d (Cannes 2025) and Tan Siyou\u2019s \u201cAmoeba\u201d (Toronto 2025). Yeo is currently working on the adaptation, with production scheduled for 2028.<\/p>\n

\n\tSet in Japan, Ball\u2019s novel follows a journalist whose wife suddenly falls silent. The journalist turns his attention to Oda Sotatsu, a man who has admitted to a string of disappearances but refuses to speak another word after surrendering to police. Everyone around the suspect has accounts to offer \u2013 but Sotatsu, facing the death penalty, will not.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI am really drawn to this story about what it means to keep one\u2019s silence and also in keeping to our commitments, especially in a world so full of noise and distractions. We all know about the power of words, but what of the value of silence? I find the novel by Jesse Ball profound and mysterious, and it is going to be a real pleasure for me to adapt these intriguing interrogations of the human heart onto screen,\u201d Yeo said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI wrote \u2018Silence Once Begun\u2019 as a novel of social critique in which that which is visionary in the human is given only one outlet: silence and refusal. That tale is even more timely now than when it was written, and I am delighted to see the marvelous talents of Siew Hua bring the book to cinema. This is a bleak tale, but it is one of love, and, I think, of hope,\u201d Ball added.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cWe were captivated by the cinematic potential of Jesse\u2019s characters. Our goal is to build a robust international co-production that honours the book\u2019s atmosphere while creating a film that speaks to the power of silence,\u201d Borgia said.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeo and Borgia previously collaborated on \u201cA Land Imagined,\u201d which claimed the Golden Leopard at Locarno in 2018. Yeo\u2019s most recent feature, \u201cStranger Eyes\u201d (2024), was the first Singaporean title to earn a Venice competition berth.<\/p>\n

\n\tBall is an American novelist, poet and educator whose books include \u201cHow to Set a Fire and Why,\u201d \u201cCensus\u201d and \u201cThe Repeat Room.\u201d He is represented by Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. and CAA. Among Borgia\u2019s other recent producing credits is Rima Das\u2019 \u201cNot A Hero,\u201d which premiered at Berlinale 2026.<\/p>\n

Read more Stephen Colbert Reveals NSFW Graphics and Cut Sketches in \u2018Worst of the Late Show\u2019 Episode<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Akanga Film Asia acquires Jesse Ball’s ‘Silence Once Begun’ for director Yeo Siew Hua, targeting a 2028 shoot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3,4,247,248],"class_list":["post-210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-cannes-film-festival","tag-cannes-film-market","tag-fran-borgia","tag-yeo-siew-hua"],"yoast_head":"\nLocarno Winners Reunite for Jesse Ball Adaptation \u2018Silence Once Begun\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE) - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=210\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Locarno Winners Reunite for Jesse Ball Adaptation \u2018Silence Once Begun\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE) - 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