Brief
Anthony Chen backs AI‑grief dramedy ‘Talk to Me When You Are Dead’ at Busan market
The film, directed by Alvin Lee, explores digital afterlives and seeks co‑producers at the Busan International Film Festival’s market.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Singapore filmmaker Alvin Lee’s debut feature, Talk to Me When You Are Dead, was presented at the Asian Project Market within the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents & Film Market, with producers Anthony Chen and Gina Tan on board, Variety reported.
What happened
The story follows widowed programmer Yong Yi, who creates a digital replica of his late wife Kate and later turns the technology into a grief‑bot startup. He is hired to secretly record the memories of a dying architect, Mr. Yun, forming a surrogate father‑son bond that forces him to choose between profit and protecting the man.
What the reports add
Lee began writing the script while mourning a best friend who died four years earlier. A family request to generate an AI video of a lost relative sparked the film’s central contradiction, which Lee says gave “real comfort” despite being a synthetic recreation. He hopes audiences leave with “hope and a reminder to hold on to their humanity as technology floods everyday life.” Chen noted the project required several script iterations before landing on the current idea, praising its personal origins and universal appeal. Tan highlighted Lee’s “light touch” that avoids heavy‑handedness, matching the film’s tone.
How it came about
After several years in development, the script is now in its third draft. Chen, who has followed Lee’s short films since film school, helped shape the feature, while Tan, a longtime collaborator, praised his sensibility. The Busan market appearance aims to secure co‑producers, financiers and other collaborators, and to raise Lee’s profile as a first‑time feature director. Lee is also developing a follow‑up project that tackles Singapore’s low birth rate, land shortage and adds a supernatural element.
Key facts
- Alvin Lee’s debut feature is titled ‘Talk to Me When You Are Dead.’ (variety.com)
- The film was pitched at the Asian Project Market within Busan International Film Festival’s ACFM. (variety.com)
- Producers Anthony Chen and Gina Tan are backing the project. (variety.com)
- The story centers on a programmer who creates grief‑bot AI copies of his late wife and a dying architect. (variety.com)
- Lee began the script while grieving a best friend and was inspired by a family request for an AI video. (variety.com)
Sources
- [1] variety.com — originally reported as “AI Grief-Bot Dramedy ‘Talk to Me When You Are Dead,’ Produced by Anthony Chen, Probes the Limits of Digital Afterlives at Busan Asian Project Market”
