NGO UK-CHINA COMPLAIND in Malaysia acquired all rights to Alibaba Pictures’ family drama “Molly” in Malaysia and reached a deal with Beijing’s sales agent Hugoeast at the end of the Cannes Film Market.

Directed by Golden Horse Award winner Chang Jung-Chi and written by Li Nian-Xiu, the Taiwanese production features Akatsuka Yoshihito's production design, with honors including "Flowers of War" and "Kill Bill".

"Molly" follows an 11-year-old plant lover's journey, who joins A-Lu, a robot taken home by the botanist's father, on the mission of finding his missing parents. The film, released a drama in China in early 2025, records the growth of the young protagonist through various challenges.

“'Molly' stands out for its warm storytelling, strong production quality and emotional sincerity. We are excited to see it find a new audience in Malaysia and believe it has strong potential to resonate around the world,” said Josie Wu, Hugoeast International Sales Representative.

UK-China Film Co-founder Hiu Man Chan said: "While the film doesn't achieve its potential in the box office sense of its home country, I believe its high productivity value, trend themes, award-winning teams and Alibaba Pictures support, but it's worth seeing more of the audience."

Chan added: "This is a great opportunity to test the differences in Chinese film reception between Chinese and international markets. We might be surprised."

The NGO had previously handled the titles issued by the UK, including the Chinese Oscar entry "The Sinking of Lisbon Maru" and republished Lee Lee's "Desire, Caution". It also hosted the Odyssey Film Festival recognized by the British Parliament, and Ching Keat Aun's Malaysian film "Midsummer Snow" won last year's Best Book and Best Director category.

In another deal in the Cannes film market, British Film Partners also acquired Khanjan Kishore Nath's "Kangbo Aloti" ("Lost Road") for British and Chinese territories, including Hong Kong and Macau SAR.

In the market, "The Lost Road" is held in the Indian Pavilion and is a rare feature film in Kabi. The film tells the story of desire with support from the Asia-Pacific Script Lab and Cinev’s WIP Lab, a young activist sent to a remote village to recruit members of school teachers who meet conflicting ideologies.

“It’s really a great moment for us to work with UK-China Film to explore the release of this film. Such a collaboration can definitely help bring our regional story to global audiences,” said Nath, an award-winning filmmaker from India.

Chan added: “This kind of distribution attempt will create a new model through collaboration between the UK and China in Indian films.”