27th Far East Film Festival: FOCUS ASIA 2025 Announces All Selected Projects & Works in Progress

Following the success of last year’s edition, Focus Asia 2025 – the dynamic industry platform of the Far East Film Festival in Udine – returns with an expanded and carefully curated programme aimed at promoting cooperation between Asia and Europe in the film industry. The event will once again feature two of its important initiatives: the All Genres Project Market, dedicated to projects with high co-production potential between the two continents, and Far East in Progress, Europe’s only platform exclusively focused on Asian films in post-production seeking international distribution and festival exposure.

From a pool of over 120 submissions spanning 31 countries, the Focus Asia selection committee – composed of respected film professionals including Martin Horyna, Mike Hostench, Young-woo Kim, Ming-Jung Kuo, Eiko Mizuno-Grey, and Valeria Richter – has selected 11 diverse projects representing 10 territories. The final line-up presents a wide genres, ranging from coming-of-age dramas and surreal narratives to arthouse, science fiction, and horror. The selection strikes a balance between emerging directors and experienced filmmakers, supported by both rising producers and acclaimed production companies.

Selected Projects – All Genres Project Market 2025:

Cubs (Indonesia) – Dir. Riri Riza
Delight Delight (Taiwan/Singapore) – Dir. Sunny Yu
Dinosaur Boy (China) – Dir. Zhiquan Liu
Green Valley and the Amber Marbles (Vietnam/Singapore/Germany/Taiwan/Norway) – Dir. Nguyen Nam Vu
Left Turn (Japan) – Dir. Mami Sunada
Mr Korea (Denmark) – Dir. Sun Hee Engelstoft
Seoulers (South Korea) – Dir. Hee Young Pyun, Jiajun ‘Oscar’ Zhang
Suffering is Optional (Canada) – Dir. Zarrar Kahn
The House on the Moon (Singapore/Taiwan) – Dir. Nelson Yeo
What’s Left of Us (Philippines) – Dir. Tyrone Acierto
Yellow (Japan) – Dir. Miyoh Yamaura

Complementing this, Far East in Progress continues to be an incubator for high-potential films nearing completion. Curated by Marie-Pierre Vallé, the section includes seven titles that have benefited from previous involvement in development initiatives such as Ties That Bind or the All Genres Project Market. Recent alumni of this pipeline, including Sunshine by Antoinette Jadaone and Last Shadow at First Light by Nicole Woodford, emphasise the effectiveness of this course in advancing Asian cinema onto the global festival circuit.

Far East in Progress 2025 Line-up:

Ah Girl (Singapore) – Dir. Priscilla Ang Geck Geck
Akashi (Canada) – Dir. Mayumi Yoshida
Big Little Things (Hong Kong/US) – Dir. Tong Zhou
Ghost of Ueno (Japan/China/South Korea) – Dir. Qi Wang
My Neighbor the Gangster (Philippines) – Dir. Mario Cornejo
On Your Lap (Indonesia) – Dir. Reza Rahadian
That Burning House (Taiwan) – Dir. Yin-chuan Tsai

Udine will transform into a vibrant hub for over 200 international industry professionals from Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. Focus Asia 2025 will present a robust programme comprising lectures, case studies, co-production labs, curated one-on-one meetings, and networking activities – all underpinned by an extensive network of global partners.

For the third consecutive year, Focus Asia will partner with Ties That Bind and the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes, creating a two-part programme beginning in Udine and concluding in Cannes under the Spotlight Asia initiative. The collaboration reflects a growing alignment between major European markets and Asian production ecosystems.

Supported by Italy’s Ministry of Culture and Cinecittà, this edition will open with a dedicated showcase of Italian producers, highlighting bilateral collaboration opportunities. Delegations of producers from organisations such as Cinema Chile, CCIDAHK, FFA (Germany), Netherlands Film Fund, and Telefilm Canada will participate in targeted labs, designed to enhance cross-continental engagement.

Key European networks – Europa Distribution and Europa International – will also play an integral role. The former will bring back the Distribution Lab, while the latter launches the inaugural Sales Lab, an initiative offering exclusive access to sales strategies tailored for Asia’s dynamic and fragmented markets.

The industry events at Focus Asia 2025 will once again merge with the Ties That Bind programme. This year’s agenda includes two co-production case studies between Europe and Asia, sessions on the monetisation and management of Asian intellectual property and remakes, as well as a forward-thinking discussion on the integration of AI in the film sector.

TAICCA (Taiwan Creative Content Agency) remains a strategic partner and primary coordinator of the festival’s industry activities. In addition to renewing the €10,000 TAICCA/Focus Asia Co-Production Award, TAICCA, FDCP (Philippines), and VIPO (Japan) will provide logistical and financial support to ensure the participation of the selected directors and producers in Udine.

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