"An Errand" by Dominic Bekaert is the big winner of the 19th Five Flavors Festival!
It's official! The international People’s Jury has decided that the best film of this year’s Festival is "An Errand" by Dominic Bekaert, a Filipino debut set in a dreamy neo-noir atmosphere. A special mention went to the Malaysian film "Pavane for an Infant", directed by Chong Keat Aun. Both films are available online, and we encourage you to watch them!
Wednesday, November 19, marks the conclusion of the cinema edition of the festival. Of course, the Festival continues and is not even halfway through yet. Viewers all across Poland can watch the films from the online program for another 11 days, until November 30!
WINNERS OF THE 19TH FIVE FLAVORS FESTIVAL
The People’s Jury of the 19th Five Flavors Asian Film Festival consisted of: Chloe Sit, Emily Jisoo, Runqi Luo, Rino Lu, Gijs Suy, Karolina Zdunek, Katarzyna Zając, Maria Sukow, Paula Wasiluk.
The Jury has decided to award the Grand Prix of the 19th Five Flavors Festival to "An Errand", directed by Dominic Bekaert. Here is the justification for their choice:
We decided to give the international people’s jury award to a striking directorial debut. With its rich and suggestive visual style the film effortlessly transforms into a heroic epic of ordinary life. In the carefully crafted narrative structure, socially engaged realism meets an unexpected, grotesque road-movie and the absurdity of everyday interactions.
We were moved by the subtle way the film speaks about the emotional cost of constant labour—work that never truly ends and rarely finds its reward. The film we have chosen offers a voice that is both unique and universal, capturing a collective experience of alienation in a world where we are always, in one way or another, “on an errand.”
The Special Mention goes to "Pavane for an Infant" by Malaysia’s Chong Keat Aun. The Jury explained their choice with the following words:
The special mention for the international people’s jury award goes to a film that keeps the viewer at a distance, but is all the more emotionally devastating for it. The film handles its sensitive themes with subtlety and elegance, blending formal rigour with hints of magical realism. It paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of a multicultural Malaysia, questioning normative narratives around motherhood to construct a polyphonic lullaby whose silence speaks to women's agency more than words could.
