First titles of the competition section and the 15th Five Flavours Jury!
New Asian Cinema is the competition section of Five Flavours, showcasing the hottest new names, brave forms and original topics. This year, the best film will be chosen by a unique, international People’s Jury.
This year, the 15th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival will be held in a hybrid form: in Warsaw cinemas between November 17 and 24, and online between November 17 and 29.
New Asian Cinema section presents films which show the modern reality of the continent in particularly brave and interesting ways, exploring interpersonal relations, cultural tensions and the topical issues faced by the world. This is why this year's selection includes "The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8," a lyrical diary from the beginning of the pandemic, made by the Japanese master Shunji Iwai.
New Asian Cinema section presents films which show the modern reality of the continent in particularly brave and interesting ways, exploring interpersonal relations, cultural tensions and the topical issues faced by the world. This is why this year's selection includes "The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8," a lyrical diary from the beginning of the pandemic, made by the Japanese master Shunji Iwai.
Coming to Five Flavours right after its premiere in Venice is "Once Upon A Time In Calcutta," whose nostalgic, mysterious plot, revolving around complex human relationships made the critics think of the films by Wong Kar Wai and the oneiric atmosphere of the series "Twin Peaks." Phenomena eluding rationality are, in turn, one of the key themes of "The Story of Southern Islet," a story of a spiritual journey of a woman from the borderlands.
The competition section will also include many stories about families. One of them is the subversive Singaporean "Number One," a story of a middle-aged man who, in order to maintain his social status, becomes a manager of a drag music club.
People's Jury
People's Jury is a group of people passionate about Asian films and cultures, chosen from amongst the candidates from four European countries. Twelve people are coming to Warsaw to participate in workshops and debate the festival films together. This year, the project is prepared in cooperation with Five Flavours partner festivals: Udine Far East Film Festival, CAMERA JAPAN Festival, and Helsinki Cine Aasia, this is why the Jury is international.
Members of the 15th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival People's Jury:
- Alberto Calabrese (Italy)
- Sara Carotenuto (Italy)
- Giulia Diplotti (Italy)
- Dominika Konopielko (Poland)
- Marlene Langbein (The Netherlands)
- Jenni Leppihuhta (Finland)
- Aleksander Młyński (Poland)
- Kinga Molińska (Poland)
- Han Nguyen (The Netherlands)
- Jack Underwood (The Netherlands)
- Jakub Wanat (Poland)
- Liisa Wang (Finland)
The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8
dir. Shunji Iwai, Japan 2020
How does Japan deal with disasters? That's an easy question for any pop culture fan – it brings to life a great monster which ensures the humanity's survival. A young actor, stuck at home during the lockdown, decides to grow one of such monsters from a capsule sold online, and share the result of his project with his friends online, day by day. This genuine, lyrical, humorously melancholic diary of the beginning of the pandemic, made DIY-style, is a micro-portrait of several people sharing their everyday lives in the uncertain time(lessness) of waiting for the normal life to resume. But what did normal actually mean?
Number One
dir. Ong Kuo Sin, Singapore 2021
Chee Beng has a beautiful house, a family, a mortgage and a vocal talent revealed only during family get-togethers. But it all comes under threat when he loses his job. He is not a young man anymore, and his high qualifications do not make getting a new job any easier. His salvation comes in the form of a new position – he becomes a manager of a music club. A drag music club. The world of drag queens, filled with glitter and the flutter of fake eyelashes, will open completely new possibilities before Chee. Not only financial ones.
Once Upon A Time In Calcutta
dir. Aditya Vikram Sengupta, India 2021
An enchanting, meditative poem for the great metropolis, pulsing to the rhythm of the city and its inhabitants – people with their best years already behind them, yet still hoping for a better tomorrow. The unique, oneiric atmosphere of this quiet, yet epic film, made by one of the most intriguing Indian filmmakers in his home city, rhymes perfectly with Wong Kar Wai's "In the Mood for Love."
The Story of Southern Islet
dir. Chong Keat Aun, Malaysia 2020
A mysterious illness keeps Yan's husband in bed. Is it because a couple of days earlier he was trying to catch a snake on a fenced field? This is the sort of a matter that the villagers from a small Malaysian community on the border with Thailand usually talk about to the shaman, not to the doctor, but the woman wants to do everything she can to help her husband. Meanwhile, the life of the village goes on as usual, unshaken by the supernatural phenomena and extraordinary transformations of its inhabitants.
Other films of the section, along with the full program of the Festival, will be revealed on October 26!
This year, the 15th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival will be held in a hybrid form: in Warsaw cinemas between November 17 and 24, and online between November 17 and 29.
Festival Passes for both forms of the Festival are already available. From October 26, Single Tickets for cinema screenings and Single Accesses for our VOD platform will also be available.