Adrenaline, emotions and tears: 15th Five Flavours Olympic Section guarantees intense thrills!
Sport is more than just fighting for points and medals – the passion for overcoming one’s limits, the throbbing pulse of rivalry, the stubborn strife for the win, and the clear-cut rules, bringing some much-needed order to the chaotic reality. Doesn’t it sound like the perfect film material?
The full program will be announced on Tuesday, October 26. Join us at 4 p.m. for a live meeting streamed online!
Sports films are not just a recording of spectacular wins and a documentation of the road to the podium. They are the portraits of ordinary people who discover the magic of rivalry, find the meanings of their existence through training, and discover life harmony in the logic of sports rules, even though golden cups are way out of their reach. The Olympic Section presents the varied, diverse faces of professional competitions – from team sports that provide wonderful sociological case studies, to highly individualistic martial arts, shaping body and soul alike.
Already in August, we announced that the program will include the Korean film “Fighter” about an immigrant from the North from whom box becomes a way to change her fate. Another film of the section is “The Empty Hands,” an incredible story based on true events, in which teenagers from a rundown district of Hong Kong turn into an incredibly successful baseball team. “We Are Champions,” on the other hand, takes us into the world of basketball through a fascinating story of two talented brothers who end up playing for opposing teams.
What are some of the other stories that will win over our hearts in November? We will see an early film by Kim Jee-woon (“The Age of Shadows,” “The Good, the Bad, and the Weird,” “A Bittersweet Life”) a cult, tragicomic story about wrestling. We will go out on the boxing ring with the protagonists of “Blue,” one of the most interesting Japanese films of the year, with its pure love for sports and boxers hiding quite a lot of sensitivity and life confusion behind their leather gloves. We will also delve into the honorable principles of martial arts with Mari, a young woman who, after the death of her father, a famous karate instructor, returns to the family tradition. Football, of course, will not be forgotten – together with the young protagonists of an inspiring Indonesian film “We Are Moluccans” we will check if different, much darker political conflicts can also be resolved on the field.
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We Are Moluccans
Cahaya dari Timur: Beta Maluku, dir. Angga Dwimas Sasongko, Indonesia 2014
When a brutal conflict breaks out at the Maluku Islands in East Indonesia, a horrified taxi driver sees children from his own village being killed. To help save them, he sets up a football team, putting a lot of his time and energy into training. Can the youth from both sides of the barricade kick the ball together, instead of fighting each other on the streets? Based on true events, the film is an inspiring story about the unique power of sports and the need for community.
The Foul King
Banchikwang, Kim Jee-woon, South Korea 2000
The monotonous existence of Dae-ho, a shy bank clerk, is passing in the rhythm of the never-ending problems at work. In a fit of desperation, he knocks on the door of a wrestling club, where he meets people that are nothing like those he knew before. But is pursuing a career in this spectacular, brutal sport really a good idea? Will Dae-ho become the king of the ring, get his payback on his boss and finally tell his colleague that he is in love with her? A thick, disturbing tragicomedy by the master of Korean cinema, starring the great Song Kang-ho at the beginning of his career.
Blue
Buru, dir. Keisuke Yoshida, Japan 2021
Boxing is not just a career, it is also a passion and a way of life. Urita gets on the ring, even though he loses all his fights. Ogawa, on the other hand, has a real talent, and easily knocks out all his opponents on the way to his championship. Why are the friends so eager to sacrifice their time and health for this sport? The director answers the question in a subtle, bitter-sweet way, letting us feel the smell of the training room and feel the emotions ob being between the corners. “Blue” is a fresh, smart film about the need for rivalry and winning.
The Empty Hands
Hung sau dou, dir. Chapman To, Hong Kong 2017
From her earliest years, Mari was raised around karate – her father set up a dojo in their apartment and subjected her to intense trainings. When the old master passes away, Mari wants to get rid of the training room and get the apartment back to normal. But it turns out it might be harder than expected – her father left half the dojo to his former student. He gives Marie an ultimatum which will force her to get back on the mat. “The Empty Hands” is a wonderfully filmed, unusual martial arts film with a brilliant role of Stephy Tang.
The 15th Five Flavours Olympic Section – full program:
- We Are Champions / Xia ban chang, dir. Chang Jung-chi, Taiwan 2019
- We Are Moluccans / Cahaya dari Timur: Beta Maluku, dir. Angga Dwimas Sasongko, Indonesia 2014
- The Foul King / Banchikwang, Kim Jee-woon, South Korea 2000
- Blue / Buru, dir. Keisuke Yoshida, Japan 2021
- Weeds on Fire / Dian wu bu, dir. Steve Chan Chi-fat, Hong Kong 2016
- The Empty Hands / Hung sau dou, dir. Chapman To, Hong Kong 2017
- Fighter / Payiteo, dir. Jero Yun, South Korea 2020
Grand program reveal – live!
We invite you for the announcement of the full program of the 15th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival 0 the even is open to everyone!
On Tuesday, October 26, at 4 p.m. during a special live studio led by two wonderful journalists, Katarzyna Borowiecka and Adriana Prodeus, we will talk about the greatest hits of the Festival and the ideas behind our choices, we will share this year’s fascinations and themes that were especially moving for us during the selection. The event will also mark the inauguration of the Festival studio, in which we will comment on the discoveries from our program and connect with the guests from Asian on a daily basis.
Watch us live at piecsmakow.pl, facebook.com/piecsmakow and vod.warszawa.pl.
This year’s Festival Studio is created in cooperation with VOD Warszawa and Andrzej Wajda Centre For Film Culture.
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.