Festival news

The greatest Asian hits in the Asian Cinerama section

20 October 2020

Touching melodramas, an adaptation of a bestselling novel, surprising superhero cinema, and a hip hop musical – we invite you to discover films that enchanted millions of viewers and won over critics all over Asia.

Films nominated to Asian Film Awards are the highlights of Asian cinemas achievements of the past year.

Asian Cinerama is a section created in cooperation with Asian Film Awards Academy, the institution behind one of the most prestigious awards of the continent. It includes films nominated to the 14th Asian Film Awards – the award ceremony will take place on October 28, during Busan International Film Festival.

The nominated titles are a broad representation of mainstream Asian cinema, films by renown authors and brilliant debuts raising widespread debates in their homelands. Original forms, unique subjects, and powerful emotions – Asian Cinerama is a great starting point for everyone beginning of their adventure with Asian cinema, and a gem for connoisseurs looking for familiar faces, ready to jump back into the worlds created by the great cinematic masters.

Gundala

Gundala, dir. Joko Anwar, Indonesia 2019

Awards: Asian Film Awards – nomination for Best Production Designer; Festival Film Indonesia – Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects

A screen adaptation of a cult comic book, the first Indonesian superhero film, and a visionary director who does not shy from making daring decisions. A ready-made recipe for success and one of the biggest box office hits in the country’s history. A stunning tale about a lower-class boy discovering the power to protect the weakest is an original contribution to the worldwide tradition of the genre, in which the best comic book conventions are combined with a political context and the powerful traditions of martial arts cinema.

One Night

Hitoyo, dir. Kazuya Shiraishi, Japan 2019

Awards: Asian Film Awards – nomination for Best Supporting Actress

How far would a mother go, agonized by years of living under one roof with an alcoholic and a tormentor? Koharu chooses a road that puts her three nearly adult children in a tough position. The master of subversive cinema, combining the genre edge with a psychological flair, once again explores the dark corners of a human soul, provocatively mixing an emotional vivisection with intelligent dark humor. Thanks to the ingenious casting choices, the broken biographies of the protagonists become incredibly intense, shedding light on many issues faced (not only) by the Japanese society.

Kim Ji-young, Born 1982

Nyeonsaeng Gim Jiyeong, dir. Kim Do-young, South Korea 2019

Awards: Asian Film Awards – nomination for Best Actress; Baek Sang Art Awards – Best New Director; Chunsa Film Art Awards – Best Supporting Actress, Best New Director; Grand Bell Awards – Best Actress; Women in Film Korea Festival – Best Actress

Ji-young is an ambitious employee of a big corporation – one of the places famous for their glass ceilings, spy cameras in the bathrooms, and other impediments created for working women, especially young mothers. The adaptation of a shocking novel which, just like the literary original, raised a wave of debates about the limitations faced by Korean women, is also a crushing feminist manifesto and a masterfully told story, filled with apt details working women and young mothers across the globe can identify with.

My Prince Edward

Gam dou, dir. Norris Wong, Hong Kong 2019

Awards: Asian Film Awards – nomination for Best New Director; Hong Kong Directors' Guild Award – Best New Director; Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Original Film Score, Best New Director; Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards – Best Screenplay, Films of Merit; Mi Ying Spirit Movie Award – Best Film

Is marriage still a necessary attribute of the adult life in the 21st century? Fong is working in a mall specializing in wedding accessories, but when she is faced with a decision to put on a wedding ring herself, her doubts keep snowballing. A brilliant comedy-drama about relationships, defining personal freedom, and the clash between romantic fairy tales and a much more complex reality has earned the first-time director Norris Wong the title of the new hope of Hong Kong cinema.

Suk Suk

dir. Ray Yeung, Hong Kong 2019

Awards: Asian Film Awards – nominations for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress; Hong Kong Directors Guild Awards – Best Actor; Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress; Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards – Best Film, Best Actor; Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild Awards – Best Screenplay, best Role in a Screenplay; To Ten Chinese FF – Best Actor, Best Film

Pak and Hoi are two men on the brink of the autumn of their lives. It seems like their dreams will never come true and their secret desires will never be revealed. A chance meeting opens another chapter in their stories, proving that some feelings have no expiration dates. Told in a remarkably tender and tactful way, this tale of a difficult love is an homage to the melodrama classics, written into the urban landscapes of Hong Kong and the unique history of the city.

Gully Boy

Gully Boy, dir. Zoya Akhtar, India 2019

Awards: Asian Film Awards – nominations for Best Composer, Best Production Designer, Best Costume Designer; Asian Academy Creative Awards – Best Film; Awards of the International Indian Film Academy – Best Editing, Best Dialogue, Best Cinematography; Bucheon International Fantastic FF – NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film; Filmfare Awards – Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Film, Best Background Score, Best Lyrics, Best Art Direction, Best Dialogue, Best Cinematography, Best Composer; Indian FF Of Melbourne – Best Film; Jagran FF – Best Writing, Best Music; Lions Gold Awards – Best Actor; Mirchi Music Awards – Trendsetters Album of the Year; Palm Springs IFF – Audience Award; Screen Awards – Best Male Debut, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Film, Best Lyricist, Best Music Director, Best Dialogue, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costumes; Zee Cine Awards – Best Male Debut, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Viewer’s Choice Best Actor – Male, Best Actor – Female, Song of the Year

Mumbai rap scene, crowded urban jungle, dreams chasing and love against all odds. One of last year’s biggest film hits, the award-winning Indian Oscars candidate, is a mix of electrifying music and moody cinematography, intertwining a universal story with local cultural tensions. Zoya Akhtar masterfully leads the plot, based on biographies of popular Indian hip-hop artist, creating an inspiring story about crossing the limits and a long-suppressed rebellion forged into emotional beats.

 

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