Private Project

NEXT STOP, SOMEWHERE

Set after the Umbrella Movement, a self exiled actor seeking freedom in an oppressing world, HUANG, relocates to Taipei from Hong Kong where he meets QIAN who is trying to free herself from her girlfriend during his confinement in a quarantine hotel. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, KIM marries a wealthy man in for financial freedom. Yet, her newfound life brings unexpected complications as she enters a passionate, forbidden affair, forcing her to question the sacrifices she made for security. Their parallel journeys explore the price of freedom, self-discovery, and the invisible chains that binds us.

  • James Lee
    Director
  • Tze Chuan Gan
    Writer
  • James Lee
    Writer
  • Jeremiah Foo
    Writer
  • Jeremiah Foo
    Producer
    A Summer's End Poem
  • Anthony Wong
    Key Cast
  • Angel Lee
    Key Cast
  • Kendra Sow
    Key Cast
  • Mike Chuah
    Key Cast
  • Patrick Chua
    Director of Photography
  • Jeremiah Foo
    Music
  • Season Chu
    Music
  • Sam Hui
    Editors
  • Can-zhao Lam
    Editors
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    別來無恙
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Social Issues
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 28 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 28, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    750,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Malaysia
  • Country of Filming:
    Malaysia, Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Golden Horse Film Project Promotion 2022 WIP Selected Project
    Taipei
    Taiwan
  • Far East Film Festival
    Udine
    Italy
    March 28, 2025
    European Premiere
    Nominated Best Screenplay
  • Cinema at Sea - Okinawa Pan-Pacific International Film Festival
    Okinawa
    Japan
    February 26, 2025
    Japan Premiere
    In Competition
  • Silk Road International Film Festival
    Dublin
    Ireland
    October 9, 2024
    Ireland
    Audience Award, Political
  • Third Eye Asian Film Festival
    Mumbai
    India
    January 10, 2025
    India Premiere
    Asian Spectrum, Official Selection
  • Lausanne International Film Festival
    Lausanne
    Switzerland
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Westec Media Limited
    Distributor
    Country: Cambodia
    Rights: Theatrical
Director Biography - James Lee

Directed by James Lee

JAMES LEE is one of the pioneers of the Malaysian Digital Film movement. His film The Beautiful Washing Machine won the Best Asean Feature Award and FIPRESCI Prize at the Bangkok International Film Festival 2005. Besides directing, he had also produced the early films of other Malaysian filmmakers, namely, Amir Muhammad and Ho Yuhang, under his production house, Doghouse73 Pictures.

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Director Statement

Freedom is a word laden with hope, pain, and resilience. For Asian diasporic communities, freedom is not just a destination but an ongoing journey—shaped by displacement, cultural preservation, and the unyielding pursuit of belonging. NEXT STOP, SOMEWHERE explores this deeply personal and universal struggle, illuminating the lives of those who have left their homelands in search of a better future, yet grapple with the emotional costs of that choice.

Freedom comes with a price. It is the bittersweet taste of liberation intertwined with the ache of exile. The film honors the complexity of these experiences. The characters face both external and internal conflicts: the battle against systemic oppression and the quieter, deeply personal struggles of identity, generational divide, and homesickness.

The film portrays these themes through intimate moments of humanity. An actor searching for freedom but yet trapped by a historic pandemic. An immigrant sacrificing tradition to embrace an alien culture. These are the subtle, powerful stories that form the mosaic of the Asian diaspora experience.