For over two decades, the Udine Far East Film Festival has been presenting a wide range of films from East and Southeast Asia. Often these features are making their European premieres or international festival premieres at Udine – but ever so often, the elegant Teatro Nuovo is graced with a world premiere, and audiences in…
Tag: film festival
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Sylvia Chang
“I feel we’re very blessed we still have films.” When looking outside feels scary, you tend to panic and freeze. And if art refuses to forgive anything, it’s stillness. It takes courage to choose to create, and great patience to learn from it. The film industry and its relationship with filmmakers have long been considered…
27th Udine Far East Film Festival: “Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants” Review
Two legends of Chinese cinema gracing the stage are enough to get anyone buzzing for the show to come, and Tsui’s adaptation film, Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants, was no less anticipated than his other fantastical masterpieces. Before the film’s international festival premiere at the 27th Udine Far East Film Festival, legendary wuxia…
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Jo Seon-ho and Kim Jae-joong, Director and Producer Respectively of “Hear Me: Our Summer”
The industry has needed a proper feel-good flick for a long time. Not just the bittersweet, but the genuine, wholeheartedness of a story designed to relight some hope in humanity. The Taiwanese hit romance Hear Me did this over a decade ago, and recently got its much-anticipated Korean redo. After its Italian premiere at the…
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Chieh Shuen Bin, Director of “Organ Child” and Actress Moon Lee
Organ trafficking is a global crisis that hides in plain sight. Generating more than $1.7 billion annually, it’s estimated that one in ten organ transplants occurs through illegal means. In Asia, the growing gap between the wealthy and the poor only intensifies the trade’s horrors. These are not just numbers; they are lives torn apart,…
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Arak Amornsupasiri and Vuthipong Sukhanindr, Directors of “The Stone”
What drives a person to lie in the name of faith – or to believe in something that can’t be proven? In The Stone, a directorial debut from Thai artists Arak Amornsupasiri and Vuthipong Sukhanindr, such questions take center stage. Known for their work in acting, music, and design, the duo steps confidently behind the…
27th Far East Film Festival: Exploring Asian Monsters in Film: From Yōkai to Gumiho
As much as you try to fight them, monsters never die. They are born out of old folkloric legends, influenced by religion, shamanism, society, and passed down through oral tradition. They live through time and space, re-emerging in different forms with every new generation. It’s of no surprise, then, that they also inhabit contemporary Asian…
Cinema as Sanctuary: Far East Film Festival Wraps Triumphant 27th Edition in Udine
“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,…
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Park Ri-woong, Director of “The Land of Morning Calm”
The Land of Morning Calm, directed by Park Ri-woong, is a powerful portrait of a fading Korean fishing village and the emotional dislocation of its residents. Supported by moving performances from Yoon Joo-sang, Yang Hee-kyung, and Khazsak Kramer, the film explores generational divides, economic decline, and the complex, often unspoken tensions surrounding immigration and arranged…
27th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with E.oni, Director of “Love in the Big City”
In the contemporary Korean cinema, director Lee Eon-hee, known professionally as E. oni, is recognised for her quietly revolutionary voice in telling human stories. E.oni was part of the first graduating class of the Korea National University of Arts, where she majored in film. Her early career was rooted in foundational, behind-the-scenes work: she served…
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