Yoon Ga-eun has long been recognised for her work in capturing the emotional world of young people with rare honesty. From her early short films Guest (2011) and Sprout (2013) to her acclaimed features The World of Us and The House of Us, she has consistently explored childhood and the often complicated journey toward adulthood….
Tag: Far East Film Fesival
28th Far East Film Festival: “Blades of the Guardians” Review
In Blades of the Guardians, director Yuen Woo-ping returns to the wuxia tradition with a film that emphasises the physical and moral foundations of the genre. Known internationally for influencing the style of cinematic combat – just look at The Matrix trilogy and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Yuen treats the film as a way…
28th Far East Film Festival: “The Blood of Wolves” Review
Yakuza films, as a genre, have evolved exponentially since they first emerged in the silent movie era of the Japanese film industry. Initially depicted as sympathetic Robin Hood-like characters who were forced to live their lives as outlaws, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the violent, brutish image of Yakuza as we know it came…
28th Far East Film Festival: KOCCA on Screen with Yoo Yeon-seok in Attendance
A new “letter” is being added to the story of the 28th Far East Film Festival: K. K stands for Korea, and also for KOCCA – the Korea Creative Content Agency. One of the key highlights of this year’s edition is a new collaboration between the Udine-based festival and KOCCA, the South Korean government organisation…
28th Far East Film Festival: Wim Wenders to Present Lifetime Award to Koji Yakusho in Udine
It begins with a friendship – and then, a film that has moved audiences around the world. On 25 April, Wim Wenders will be in Udine to personally present the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award to his friend and Perfect Days star, Koji Yakusho, on the stage of the Teatro Nuovo “Giovanni da Udine.” Shot…
28th Far East Film Festival: FEFF Campus Returns for Its 12th Edition, Welcoming Ten Aspiring Voices to the Global Film Community
The Far East Film Festival Campus initiative continues to bring film lovers together from across the globe, and if that sounds like the beginning of a great film, it’s because, in many ways, it is. As the 28th Far East Film Festival returns from April 24 to May 2, 2026, the FEFF Campus celebrates its…
28th Far East Film Festival: The New Poster is Here!
For a few days each spring, Udine turns into the hub of Asian cinema. The premieres, the talks, the packed schedules, the chance encounters between artists and audiences. These are the visible mechanics of any festival. But what truly gives it meaning is something less tangible: the people. A festival audience is a living, breathing…
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Cynthia Yee, Luka Yang and Shari Matsuura of “Chinatown Cha-Cha”
Nonagenarian Coby Yee is the shining light of the vibrant and soft-hearted documentary Chinatown Cha-Cha, as director Luka Yuanyuan Yang turns her attention to the life of the legendary dancer. But the spotlight is shared with Yee’s longtime dancing partners – the Grant Avenue Follies – and the film becomes more than just a portrait…
27th Udine Far East Film Festival: “Hear Me: Our Summer” Review
What’s the happiest film you can think of? Is it one painted with flowers, and a dreamy major-key score? Is it about the ending, or is it the journey the characters took together that filled your heart with the most warmth? Perhaps the happiest film isn’t the one so sickly-sweet that it veers from realism,…
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:…
Takeuchi Hideki Returns to the Far East Film Festival
Historically, cinema has predominantly engaged with the human body through the lens of science fiction, often depicting miniature characters – reduced to the size of ants – who embark on fantastical journeys within our physical form, confronting its mysteries and the limited special effects technology of bygone eras. Iconic films like Richard Fleischer’s Fantastic Voyage,…
Discussing “Alienoid: Return to the Future” with Director Choi Dong-hoon and Producer Ahn Soo-hyun – Exclusive Interview
I first interviewed Choi Dong-hoon, one of South Korea’s leading directors and screenwriters, in 2015 at the BFI London Film Festival, where he was promoting his espionage action film Assassination. Choi, renowned for his consistent box-office success, spent several years developing the script for Alienoid, a sci-fi fantasy action film. After premiering Alienoid at the…
Beyond Preservation: Curation and Programming of Korean Film Archive – In Conversation with Kim Hong-joon, Director of the KOFA
The theme of the Far East Film Festival’s retrospective program this year was “Saving the Past: 50/50: Celebrating 50 Years of Korean Film Preservation” and it was focused on a tumultuous yet pivotal decade for Korean cinema. The 1950s were a time of great upheaval and these films – restored under the direction of the…
26th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Eugene Domingo and Jun Lana of “Becky and Badette” – Exclusive Interview
In Becky and Badette, director Jun Lana is facing the social media machine and what those who use it can be willing to do to gain fame. The comedy tackles this subject through Becky and Badette, played by Eugene Domingo and Pokwang. Best friends since their school days, they are in dead-end jobs, completely broke,…
