“In the midst of such a chaotic world, we’re incredibly fortunate that cinema still exists. We still have movie theatres to escape to – whether we want to cry, laugh, or simply feel something. For those two hours, we can still believe the world is beautiful.”

These moving words from legendary Taiwanese superstar Sylvia Chang, spoken as she accepted the Golden Mulberry Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine, perfectly captured the heart and atmosphere of the Far East Film Festival and the vibrant energy of its recently concluded 27th edition.

This year, FEFF embraced the storytelling momentum of contemporary Asian cinema, curating a diverse line-up that spanned genres while engaging directly with pressing social themes. The festival presented 77 films from 12 countries, including 12 world premieres, 22 international premieres, 23 European premieres, and 19 Italian premieres.

The festival welcomed 220 guests of honour, including Sylvia Chang and the legendary Tsui Hark – both honoured with Golden Mulberries for Lifetime Achievement – and drew an audience of 65,000 to screenings at the Teatro Nuovo and Visionario theatres.

“Never before,” reflected FEFF founders Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, “have we felt such deep affection from the people of Udine. The entire city embraced the Asian spirit, and while 65,000 attended official screenings, the number of lives touched by the festival was far greater.”

As always, the FEFF audience served as the festival’s ultimate jury, continuing a tradition that began in 1999. The Golden Mulberry went to Yihui Shao’s box office sensation Her Story, while the Silver Mulberry was awarded to The Last Dance – Extended Version by Anselm Chan. The Crystal Mulberry went to Like a Rolling Stone by Yin Lichuan. Notably, both Her Story and Like a Rolling Stone – films that tackle gender equality – were directed by women and are from mainland China.

The Last Dance – Extended Version also won over FEFF’s Black Dragon pass holders, while the White Mulberry for best debut feature, awarded by jurors Kim Yutani, Sakoda Shinji, and Japanese star Megumi, went to Diamonds in the Sand by Filipino filmmaker Janus Victoria. The Mulberry for Best Screenplay was awarded to Welcome to the Village, a psychological thriller by Jojo Hideo, with a special mention going to Kim Bo-sol’s animated South Korean romance The Square, from the Sergio Amidei International Award jury.

The impact of the festival went far beyond the screen. More than 3,000 guests filled Udine’s hotels, and the number of accreditations hit an all-time high of 1,993. The city welcomed 130 university students from Italy, the UK, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Singapore.

The Focus Asia industry platform brought in over 200 film professionals from across Europe. The TAICCA/Focus Asia Co-Production Award was presented to the Filipino project What’s Left of Us, and over 20,000 attendees engaged with the Far East Film Events held around the city, including the immersive Mondo Mizuki, Mondo Yokai exhibitions.

Online participation soared as well, with more than 10,000 viewing hours recorded on MYmovies ONE. Among the platform’s most-watched titles were Janchivdorj Sengedorj’s gritty Mongolian noir Silent City Driver – winner of the Purple Mulberry from the MYmovies community – and Jojo Hideo’s thriller A Bad Summer, which clocked in at 1,426 hours of viewing alone.

As the curtain fell on another extraordinary chapter, Tsui Hark offered a fitting farewell: “I hope the Far East Film Festival community continues to enjoy the wonderful discoveries that cinema brings.”

The 28th edition of FEFF will return to Udine from 24 April to 2 May 2026 – a celebration already marked on the calendar of cinephiles around the world.

Image courtesy of View of the Arts

_{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.}