Hong Kong director Stanley Kwan has started shooting a musical comedy in Shanghai.

Tentatively titled "Remy Dance" (Yong Xin Tiao), the film features singing, dancing and martial arts and tells three stories that happen in 1929, 2009 and 2019.

The cast is led by Carina Lau, wife of Tony Leung, and mainland A-lister Hu Jun. Also appearing are up-and-coming actor Liao Fan, actress Song Jia, and a group of students from the Shanghai Theater Academy and Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Kwan's previous films include "Center Stage" (Ruan Lingyu) and "Lan Yu," which won him the 2001 Best Director in the Golden Horse Awards, known as Taiwan's Oscars.

He leads a top-notch crew, including Christopher Doyle, cinematographer of "In the Mood for Love" (Huayang Nianhua), William Chang, production designer of 2046 and a screenplay by writer/racer Han Han.

The film is due for release around March next year.

(China Daily June 10, 2009)