{"id":604035,"date":"2026-07-25T19:39:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T19:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/604035\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T19:39:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T19:39:14","slug":"the-exiles-draws-on-heart-of-darkness-midi-z-reveals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/604035\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Exiles’ Draws on ‘Heart of Darkness,’ Midi Z Reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tTaiwan-based Myanmar filmmaker Midi Z<\/a> has revealed that his next feature, \u201cThe Exiles<\/a>,\u201d starring Sam Worthington<\/a>, David Duchovny and Ke-Xi Wu, draws on Joseph Conrad\u2019s classic novel \u201cHeart of Darkness,\u201d reimagined through a contemporary, original story.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking with Variety during the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest<\/a>), where he served as a jury member 15 years after his own directorial debut, Midi Z reflects on the unlikely path that led him into filmmaking, the lasting influence of Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien and how \u201cThe Exiles\u201d continues a career-long exploration of identity and displacement.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI never went to film school,\u201d Midi Z says. \u201cI was simply someone who loved cinema. I learned from online reviews, books and whatever resources I could find.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of the defining moments of his career came while he was studying in Taiwan. Selected for the inaugural Golden Horse Film Academy in 2009, Midi Z caught the attention of Hou Hsiao-hsien, who personally mentored him, selected his screenplay and even accompanied him on location scouts in New Taipei City for what would become his early films about Myanmar.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe experience extended beyond filmmaking. After shooting, Hou would gather other filmmakers and actors, including French screen legend Isabelle Huppert, who had also been invited to the program for karaoke.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHou told me, \u2018You should go back and make films about your homeland,’\u201d Midi Z recalls. That advice became the foundation of his filmmaking over the past decade and a half.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSoutheast Asian cinema is different from Chinese-language cinema,\u201d he says. \u201cIt exists on the margins, and it is deeply personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tInspired by Hou\u2019s humanistic approach, Midi Z has continued making films across different countries while returning repeatedly to questions of migration, cultural identity and belonging.<\/p>\n

\n\tHis newest feature, \u201cThe Exiles,\u201d extends that thematic journey, inspired in part by a real criminal case in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Francis Ford Coppola famously adapted Conrad\u2019s novel into \u201cApocalypse Now,\u201d Midi Z says his interpretation moves in a different direction and tells an original fictional story.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe U.S.-Taiwan co-production is filmed entirely in Taiwan, with roughly 90% of the dialogue in English. The film has entered early post-production, and Midi Z hopes to release it in 2027.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI see completely different aesthetics and perspectives across the 10 competition films,\u201d he says of his role on this year\u2019s MIFFest jury. \u201cEvery film has its own voice and its own identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs the number of film festivals across Asia continues to grow, Midi Z believes originality has become more important than ever. \u201cCinema is half art and half business,\u201d he adds. \u201cThe biggest challenge isn\u2019t learning how to make films. It\u2019s how to remain original while trends and mainstream tastes constantly pull filmmakers in another direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRather than chasing commercial formulas, he argues, filmmakers should embrace their individuality. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to become mainstream,\u201d he says. \u201cYou need to protect your own voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLooking ahead, Midi Z hopes to collaborate more closely with filmmakers across Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia and Thailand. Malaysia shares historical and cultural ties through a common British colonial legacy, while Thailand\u2019s geographic proximity to Myanmar creates natural opportunities for cross-border storytelling.<\/p>\n

\n\tHaving lived and worked across multiple countries throughout his career, Midi Z no longer defines home as a fixed place. \u201cEveryone has to find a way to survive, both physically and spiritually,\u201d he says. \u201cThe fluidity of identity and cultural belonging gives me the freedom to tell stories. It also gives me endless possibilities as a filmmaker.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Taiwan-based Myanmar filmmaker Midi Z has revealed that his next feature, \u201cThe Exiles,\u201d starring Sam Worthington, David Duchovny…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":604036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[263],"tags":[18,117,19,17,255177,242336,327,75481,255178],"class_list":["post-604035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-midi-z","tag-miffest","tag-movies","tag-sam-worthington","tag-the-exiles"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116982314861708633","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}