The 17th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival

The hybrid format allowed the festival to retain its cinematic character whilst reaching Asian film enthusiasts across Poland.

Programme

The programme of the 17th edition of Five Flavours comprised six sections, within which 38 films were screened in cinemas and 29 online. A carefully selected line-up combined different emotions and cinematic styles: from independent, low-budget productions from Japan, South Korea, or Malaysia, through Hong Kong movies with strong heroines and a retrospective of the Taiwanese master of wuxia films, to lavish genre spectacles. Festival audiences had the opportunity to discover the work of a visionary who helped shape the direction of popular cinema decades ago, as well as to take a closer look at a country whose film industry has become one of the most exciting phenomena of recent years. The programme for the 17th edition was curated by Marcin Krasnowolski, Łukasz Mańkowski, Maja Pielak, and Marta Dymek.

Film Index

Author of the trailer: Łukasz Ziomek

Film sections of the 17th edition of the festival: 

New Asian Cinema

The competition section carries with it a strong sense of responsibility. Is it possible to present the themes resonating throughout the cinemas of the continent and capture its heartbeat with just eleven films? The result of the many, often incredibly hard decisions, was a section filled with sharp portrayals of Asia, conveyed by auteurs who will surely keep on making waves in the industry. Audiences had the opportunity not only to discover work of these filmmakers at the outset of their careers, but also to engage with them during Q&A sessions, as many of the competition’s directors attended the festival in Warsaw.

Asian Cinerama

A counterweight to the competitions section. – blockbusters representing the state of mainstream entertainment, and the works of the masters of Asian cinema. A selection of films that won over the hearts of Asian audiences, proving that the continent remains the beating heart of contemporary cinema. For regular festival-goers, it is also an opportunity to revisit the work of artists featured in Five Flavours programme in the past.

Retrospective: King Hu

The first retrospective in Poland dedicated to a filmmaker who truly changed the cinema. King Hu was an undisputed master of wuxia, a genre he redefined and modernised. His work proves that action cinema can be enriched by a touch of transcendence and palpable mystique. The director of A Touch of Zen went down in history as the innovator of action scenes choreography. He employed visionary technical solutions which he approached with extraordinary accuracy. The epic fights of the Taiwanese master's films became his hallmark,  – characterised by an aesthetic of precision, the pioneering approach to movement as a dance, and the dynamic camerawork enhancing the poetic dimension of the fights. The retrospective was prepared in collaboration with Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. All films were presented in digitally restored versions.

Heroines of Hong Kong

Hong Kong cinema is associated with action films, and most often brings to mind male protagonists. Most undeservedly so since, thanks to the characteristics of Hong Kong martial arts films, women have been successfully surmounting their male counterparts in them with training, agility, and wits for many decades – much earlier than in Hollywood. Hong Kong cinema also features brilliant comedies and dramas, rarely presented outside of Asia. The profit-oriented industry that did not shy away from experiments was an environment which brought to prominence the brilliant actresses who later became pop icons in that part of the world. Maggie Cheung, Sylvia Chang, Cheng Pei-Pei, Cherry Ngan, and Cherie Chung are some of the outstanding heroines whose break-through roles were the focus of the section. The Hong Kong programme was prepared in collaboration with Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin.

Focus: India

A section devoted to films from a region that until now had rarely featured at Five Flavours programme. There are, however, many reasons to take a closer look at the cinema emerging from the world’s most populous country, whose geopolitical significance continues to grow. India produces over 2,000 films annually, and its arthouse filmmakers are gaining increasing recognition on the international festival circuit. In their hands, the medium feels newly invigorated – resulting in modern, inventive, and richly colourful cinema. The films in the Focus: India section offered a wide spectrum of emotions and styles, each providing insight into different regions of the country and its diverse traditions – both cultural and industrial.

Special Screenings

A return to older productions that have already gained a cult status and were digitally restored in 4K.

Opening and Closing Films

The 17th edition of Five Flavours opened with a screening of “An Autumn’s Tale”, the second instalment of Mabel Cheung’s migration trilogy, featuring a stellar acting duo of Chow Yun-fat and Cherie Chung in performances that have become iconic in Hong Kong cinema.

The film closing the festival’s physical edition was an independent gem from Japan – “River”, directed by Junta Yamaguchi.

Winners of the 17th Five Flavours

The competition section, New Asian Cinema was evaluated by the International People’s Jury – comprising Pelin Çılgın, Kanako Fujita, Kiki Huang, Magdalena Nieświec, Olivia Popp, Iga Ratajczak, Eliana Resnick, and Jakub Wanat, who selected the festival’s best films.

The Grand Prix was awarded to “A Wild Roomer” by Lee Jeong-hong from South Korea. A Special Mention went to the Japanese film “Amiko” by Yusuke Morii.

Guests of the 17th Five Flavours

Each year, Five Flavours provides a space for encounters with outstanding filmmakers, often on the cusp of promising careers. During the 17th edition, six remarkable directors from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia travelled to Poland to participate in Q&A sessions with Warsaw’s audiences: 

• Jin Lay Ong, director of the Malaysian film “Abang Adik”,
• Makbul Mubarak, director of the Indonesian film “Autobiography”,
• Lim Oh-jeong, director of the Korean film “Hail to Hell”,
• Lee Jeong-hong, director of “A Wild Roomer” (Grand Prix winner),
• Chihiro Ito, director of the Japanese films “Side by Side” and “In Her Room”,
• Anastasia Tsang, director of the Hong Kong film “A Light Never Goes Out”.

More about the festival guests

Additional Materials

Every year, the Five Flavours team prepares a variety of educational resources designed to provide further insight into the films featured in the programme. As part of the 17th edition, numerous articles and podcasts were produced, as well as eight video interviews with filmmakers.

Conversations with Filmmakers

Festival partners and sponsors

The 17th Asian Film Festival Five Flavours was co-funded by the City of Warsaw, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Berlin, Ministry of Culture, Taiwan, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Prague, Taipei Representative Office in Poland oraz Japan Foundation

Partners: Kino Muranów, Kinoteka, Kinomuzeum, Pracownia Szumu

Media partners: Wp.pl, Pismo, K MAG, Wyborcza.pl, Filmweb, Filmawka, Pełna Sala

Special thanks: Fundacja Kultury Bez Barier, Festiwal Kamera Akcja, Czas Kultury, Polityka, Newsweek, Zwierciadło, Mint Magazine, Moodaily