With a Creative Eye - who's coming to the 18th Five Flavours?
Every year, the Five Flavours Festival offers a chance to meet exceptional artists who showcase the diversity of the Asian continent through their unique perspectives and cinematic styles. At this 18th edition, we’ll be introduced to creators from Japan, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong!
Away from Red Carpets and Grand Ceremonies – the post-film discussions at Five Flavours are always an opportunity to get up close and personal with filmmakers and the stories behind their films. Most of these guests are directors from the New Asian Cinema competition section – emerging talents who portray Asian modernity earnestly and boldly. Every year, the Five Flavours audience surprises Warsaw’s visitors with their insightful questions, curiosity, and knowledge. These festival meetings are a core part of Five Flavours’ identity – a chance to broaden horizons in an intimate and welcoming atmosphere.
For our online audience, we have prepared special remote talks! Starting with the festival's opening, they will be available to watch on our VOD platform. Featured among those who spoke with the Five Flavours curators are Shin'ya Tsukamoto (“Tokyo Fist”), Hsiao Ya-chuan (“Old Fox”), Kelvin Tong (“A Year of No Signifiance”), Nick Cheuk (“Time Still Turns the Pages”), Shishir Jha (“Tortoise Under the Earth”), and Wei Liang Chiang (“Mongrel”). These conversations provide an ideal opportunity to deepen the understanding and context surrounding each film.
Guests of the 18th Five Flavours
Hiroshi Ishikawa
Born in 1963, the Japanese director began his career as a commercial filmmaker, working for companies like Shiseido and Toyota. In 2001, he chose to expand his portfolio with an artistic project, resulting a year later in “tokyo.sora”—a distinctive story about everyday life in Tokyo, created without a script through the improvisation of those involved. The film premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. Over his career, Ishikawa has directed only three feature films, all of which have gained a devoted following among fans of independent Japanese cinema. The “tokyo.sora” screening at the 18th Five Flavours Festival will be from a copy specially prepared for the event.
Shiika Okada
Born in 1996, she is a Japanese screenwriter and director. She graduated from the Department of Intermedia Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2018. Recognized for her highly original animated films, she also creates music and writes screenplays beyond animation. Since 2019, she has been studying in the Department of Animation at the Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media. Her five-minute animation, “Maternal Awakening”, won the Special Jury Award at the 43rd Pia Film Festival in 2021. “Kisspeptine Chronicles” marks her feature debut and is regarded as one of the most original films in Japanese independent cinema in recent years.
more about "Kisspeptin Chronicles"
Peng Tzu-hui i Wang Ping-wen
A directorial duo from Taiwan, that won the Best Director award at the San Sebastian Film Festival for their debut feature film, “A Journey in Spring”. Their collaboration is a unique blend: Peng brings an artistic background in painting, ceramics, and film, while Wang adds a journalistic perspective - her short films often explore themes of family, which resonate strongly in “A Journey in Spring”. Following its success in San Sebastian, their project has been featured in festival programs around the world.
more about "A Journey in Spring"
Chia Chee Sum
A Malaysian director and co-founder of theCommonist, a film and animation production company based in Malaysia and Thailand. He is an alumnus of prestigious programs, including the Asian Film Academy in Busan and Talents Tokyo, where he received the Talents Tokyo 2020 award. Chia's feature debut, “Oasis of Now”, was developed through SEAFIC (Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab) and showcased at the Locarno Open Doors Hub and the Berlinale Talent Project Market. The film was also presented in the Forum section at Berlinale 2024.
Qu Youjia
Born in 1990, he studied at the Beijing Film Academy and the Rhode Island School of Design, blending Chinese and Western cinematic influences in his work. He gained early acclaim for his short films Meijing and Together Apart, the latter winning Best Short Film at the FIRST International Film Festival. "She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones" marks the director's feature film debut and premiered at Berlinale, where it received the Generation 14plus Special Mention Award.
more about "She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones"
Sasha Chuk
Born in 1991, she is a Cantonese writer, screenwriter, and director. She studied Chinese literature and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. Her short film “The Dropout of Her” (2019) won the Best Cinematography Award at the 13th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival. Her next short film, “Plain Sailing” (2022), earned the Gold Award in the Asian Open Category at the 27th ifva Awards and was selected for the Osaka Asian Film Festival. In 2020, she won the First Film Initiative by Create Hong Kong for her screenplay “Fly Me to the Moon”, an adaptation of her novel. “Fly Me to the Moon” is her feature directorial debut, which garnered her a Golden Horse Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. The project was produced and mentored by Stanley Kwan.
