Sam Worthington and David Duchovny have joined forces with Taiwanese actress Ke-Xi Wu to star in "The Exiles," the English-language debut of festival-favorite filmmaker Midi Z. A gripping expat crime thriller inspired by true events, the film is currently being shot on location in Taipei with a multi-Oscar-nominated production team, including cinematographer Ed Lachman (The Virgin Suicides, Carol, El Conde), editor Hank Corwin (The Tree of Life, The Big Short), and composer Lim Giong (Cannes Best Score winner for The Assassin).
The film follows the story of a desperate Westerner's pursuit of greener pastures in Asia, where greed, rivalry, and ego ultimately spiral into a shocking murder. It's a tale of conflicting forces - love and exploitation, greed and fragility, darkness and hope - woven together from real-life crime incidents in Asia.
Mister Smith Entertainment has taken on the international sales of "The Exiles" and will launch the title at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin, with CAA representing U.S. rights. The film is being positioned for a top-tier festival launch later this year.
"An unrelenting crime thriller that grips from the first page, 'The Exiles' marks Midi Z's first English-language feature and a confident expansion of his distinctive visual style onto the international stage," said Shane Kelly, Mister Smith's Senior VP of International Sales. "Anchored by an exceptional caliber of cast and creative collaborators behind the camera, the film unites auteur ambition with a muscular genre narrative."
Midi Z, who was born in Myanmar but came of age in Taiwan, has built a career as one of the territory's most distinctive filmmakers. His breakthrough came with the edgy drug drama "Ice Poison" (2014), which premiered in Berlin and later became Taiwan's official Oscar submission. He followed that with the immigrant saga "The Road to Mandalay" (2016), which launched in Venice, and "Nina Wu" (2018), a psychological thriller that bowed in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section.
"The Exiles has been an exhilarating new experience for me as a filmmaker. It reflects the tumultuous world we're in, and follows a character's quest to begin a new life within it," Z said from the set. "I took inspiration from real crime incidents in Asia to weave together a tale of contradicting forces - love and exploitation, greed and fragility, darkness and hope."
He added: "It's my great privilege to create with this amazing team, from Sam and David to my longtime collaborators Ke-Xi and Lim Giong, to Ed and Hank behind the camera - all of whom I've long admired - and to be able to bring this special production to my hometown of Taipei."
The director co-wrote "The Exiles" with Ke-Xi Wu, his frequent collaborator and past lead in "Ice Poison," "The Road to Mandalay," and "Nina Wu," as well as the 2024 Berlin Golden Bear contender "Black Tea," from Oscar nominee Abderrahmane Sissako (Timbuktu).
Producers on "The Exiles" include Anita Gou (The Farewell), Tom Heller (Foxcatcher), Claudia Tseng, and Midi Z, with Killer Films' Christine Vachon (Materialists, Carol), Gabi Meyers (A Different Man) and Wu executive producing. The film is being made with support and financing from the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA).
"The Exiles" adds to a busy lineup of projects for Worthington, who can currently be seen worldwide in his iconic role as Jake Sully in "Avatar: Fire and Ash." He will next appear in David Mackenzie's thriller "Fuze," Netflix's Harlan Coben series "I Will Find You," and Alejandro Monteverde's feature "Zero A.D."
Meanwhile, the ever-versatile and prolific Duchovny is currently supporting his co-starring turn in Jay Duplass' ensemble drama "See You When I See You," alongside Kumail Nanjiani, Kaitlyn Dever, Lucy Boynton, Cooper Raiff, and Hope Davis. He can also be seen on Prime Video's psychological thriller series "Malice," opposite Jack Whitehall and Carice van Houten - as well as on "The X-Files" and "Californication" reruns worldwide. In mid-2024, he also launched his podcast "Fail Better," about failure in all its forms, and published a collection of poetry titled "About Time" last fall.
Worthington is repped by WME, Anonymous Content, and Hansen Jacobson, while Duchovny is represented by Anonymous Content, CAA, and Nelson Davis. Midi Z and Wu are both represented by CAA.
