Boo Junfeng's 'Trinity' Seeks Final Financing at Tokyo Gap-Financing Market

Singaporean director Boo Junfeng is at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market this year with "Trinity," a post-production feature about a celebrity preacher whose daredevil spectacles conceal a fixation on a young follower. The team arrives with a small financing gap still to close before the film can be completed, both Boo and producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon confirmed.

What is the film about?

"Trinity" follows Johnny, a pastor from Taiwan whose sermons have built him a large Singaporean following at a popular megachurch. The faithful also turn out in large numbers for the elaborate acrobatic shows he stages in the vein of Cirque du Soleil.

The story unfolds in three chapters modeled on the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Though publicly known for his conservative stance, Johnny grows infatuated with Yang, a newcomer to his training program, and his preferential treatment of the young man soon becomes hard to miss. It unsettles his wife Ruth and David, his leading disciple and his daughter's husband-to-be, both of whom share in running the church.

When Yang vanishes, a frantic Johnny starts his own inquiry. The clues point toward his inner circle, with tragic results. Johnny and Ruth later relocate to rural Taiwan, keeping a low profile and worshipping at a modest local congregation — until Johnny glimpses an enigmatic stranger who may yet bring the couple divine grace.

Why did Boo make it?

"I've always been very interested in the subject of sexuality and faith, and I wanted to make a film that dives deep into the psyche of these characters within a church," Boo said. He added: "I hope people will empathize with the characters, despite them being flawed human beings."

Boo made his feature debut with "Sandcastle" (2010), the first film from Singapore selected for Cannes Critics' Week. His follow-up, the capital punishment drama "Apprentice," played in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section in 2016. He has served as creative director of Singapore's National Day Parade, including the 2025 edition marking the country's 60th anniversary, and currently chairs the Singapore International Film Festival.

Phathanavirangoon, whose credits include "Apprentice," Pen-ek Ratanaruang's "Headshot," Ron Howard's "Thirteen Lives" and Pang Ho-Cheung's "Dream Home" and "Aberdeen," co-wrote "Trinity" with Boo and has been involved since the idea first took shape. He previously worked as an international programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival and a program delegate for Cannes Critics' Week, and co-founded the Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (SEAFIC).

"Personally, I have had people close to me convert to Christianity due to Evangelism, but this is seldom seen in Asian films," Phathanavirangoon said. He pointed to the spectacle built into some Asian church services as what sets the story apart: "Some are surprised that churches can host Cirque du Soleil-style performances like in our film, but just earlier this year in Korea, a stunt sent a man dressed as Jesus into the sky, and that went super viral."

What does the market run mean?

The project is produced by Peanut Pictures, Filmagic Pictures and Gaïjin, and is listed as a co-production spanning 11 countries: Taiwan, France, Singapore, Poland, Greece, Japan, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines. The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market runs as part of TIFFCOM, the content market attached to the Tokyo International Film Festival. If the remaining gap closes in Tokyo, "Trinity" moves to completion with its Cannes-vetted director and an unusually broad coalition of international partners behind it.