Synopsis
The fourth romantic comedy, by Joy House Productions.
The Gift That Gives follows the story of Callum Mori (Takaya Honda), the author of a book entitled, The Gift That Gives. He makes his first television appearance as a guest of The Arts Corner television show, presented by Kate Sedgeman (Lily Brown-Griffiths), who falls for him. Callum, however, falls for her best friend, Linda (HaiHa Le). Linda owns the bookshop where Callum launches his book but luckily for Kate, fate brings her and Callum’s brother, Austin (Damien Sato) together, as they discover hidden love letters, signed by aliases. Jointly, they all try to find out who penned them.
The production is shot entirely in Sydney, written, directed and produced by Joy Hopwood (The Script of Life, Rhapsody of Live, Get a Life, Alright!) with a stellar cast. They include: Takaya Honda (Neighbours), HaiHa Le (Boy Swallows Universe), Lily Brown-Griffiths (The Script of Life), Damien Sato (Rhapsody of Love), Susan Ling-Young (The Office) and Lex Marinos (OAM). Accompanied by a great supporting cast who include, Maria Tran (Last King of the Cross), Andy Trieu (SBS PopAsia), Genevieve Craig (Chikas), and Atharv Kolhatkar (The Marriage Agency).
Like all of Joy’s films, they champion diversity, giving opportunities for female creatives not only in front of, but also behind the camera. Her distinct style is having her life stories up on the big screen which are not only light hearted but also entertaining. All her films have hidden life messages for her audiences to learn from her own experiences. “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
REVIEWS
'The Gift that Gives, Joy Hopwood's fourth feature film, is a delightfully joyous romantic comedy. This film stars two Asian-Australian television titans HaiHa Le and Takaya Honda as the charming and natural leads, both of whose humour is more sardonic and understated than you'd find in a typical Hollywood romance. The supporting cast are equally great - Lily Brown Griffiths as the melancholy and kind best friend reminiscent of Bridget Jones, Susan Ling Young and Lex Marinos as an older couple in love and fed-up with each other in equal measures, Damien Sato whose expressive eyes say everything and Maria Tran as the kickarse kooky yoga master.
The Melbourne Premiere was a hit, with attendees from all over Melbourne, from all ages and walks of life - including a lovely mother and her two daughters who brought along their scrapbooks filled with pasted-in magazine cut-out collages for the actors to sign afterwards.
In the Q and A with the audience, Joy described how like Takaya's character, she was ashamed of her mother volunteering at her school canteen. And seeing HaiHa in real life was quite an experience - the screen does her no justice: she is even more movie-star beautiful, with wise and thoughtful reflections on her role in Australian television (she will next feature in Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe). Takaya mentioned that he took on this role because the plot didn't just centre on diversity, but on character.
Indeed, 'The Gift that Gives' concentrates on distinct and relatable passages of one's life: being single in one's thirties, growing old with one's partner, and looking after family members who are vulnerable. 'The Gift that Gives' is the textbook 'Feel Good' movie, as earnest and wholesome as they come, with the message not to judge a book by its cover. Even though there are some comedic moments in here that Hollywood would milk even further for salacious value, the camera and director show well-timed restraint. It is a stellar showcase of both established and emerging Australian cinematic talent. Alice Pung 10/10.'
“A trailblazing film!” Hannah Kwon (SBS) 9/10
“This film is a gift to the Asian-Australian community and seeing the overwhelming response after the Randwick Ritz screening was inspiring” Benjamin Wang (audience)
“Through your uplifting films you are making a mighty impact to the world. It was so special & grateful to be able to take my daughter to watch and meet incredibly kind and inspiring Asian female role models both behind and in front of the screen.” Huangstars (audience)
Award Winner at Universal International Women’s Festival for Best Leading Actress in a feature film.
