The curtain will officially close on the 27th edition of the Far East Film Festival with the world premiere of The Square, a beautifully made South Korean animated love story. Described as a poetic and visually enchanting work, The Square makes its global debut in Udine.

In contrast, and perfectly complementing the tone of the evening, the second Closing Night feature is the offbeat musical comedy Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie. This lively film will screen out of competition and adds a dash of energetic fun to the festival’s grand finale.

But that’s not all. What was initially teased as a “surprise film” during the press conference has been revealed – alongside two additional world premieres now added to the lineup.

First is The System, a newly restored version of Peter Yung’s gritty 1979 Hong Kong cult classic, which has long been inaccessible to audiences until now. Second is the Indonesian horror film Mad of Madness, an intense mix of fear, politics, and societal critique. These exciting additions update the festival’s stats: the total number of films has increased from 75 to 77, and the number of participating countries – now including Indonesia – has risen to 12. The lineup now includes 8 world premieres, 16 international premieres, 20 European premieres, and 19 Italian premieres. Meanwhile, the number of competition titles has grown to 49.

On the subject of numbers, two short films will also be part of this year’s selection: Once Upon a Time There Was a Mountain and Sweet, Sour, Bitter…, both produced in Hong Kong and developed through the 2024 Asian Film Awards Academy International Film Camp held in Macau.

Another major highlight of FEFF 27 is its exciting retrospective, Yōkai and Other Monsters: From Asian Folklore to Cinema, featuring 12 titles exploring mythological beings from across the continent. The screenings will be held at Visionario, and the program pays special tribute to Japan’s beloved supernatural creatures, the yōkai.

In celebration of this theme, a major cultural event will run alongside the festival: Mondo Mizuki, Mondo Yōkai. This large-scale exhibition, hosted at Udine’s Casa Cavazzini Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art from 26 April to 30 August, will present the artistic world of legendary Japanese mangaka Shigeru Mizuki. Curated by Canicola, Vincenzo Filosa, and Mizuki Productions, the exhibit features 100 original items – including artwork, books, magazines, and video material – and this will be the first full-scale tribute to Mizuki in Italy and only the second in Europe.

Image courtesy of Far East End Film Festival

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}