The 23rd edition of the Far East Film Festival (FEFF) wrapped on 2 July, maintaining its balance between commercially successful Asian films and new entrants, and shaping a filmmaking narrative around this year’s “Moving Forward” theme.

About 10,000 people attended the physical festival in the Italian town of Udine. The event also attracted 15,000 online viewers from 38 countries. In addition, organisers took a four-film roadshow to more than 20 Italian cities in collaboration with Udine-based distribution/production house Tucker Film. 

This year’s festival screened 63 titles from 11 countries and territories, including Japan, Hong Kong, China, Korea and the Philippines, as well as first-timers at FEFF including Macao and Myanmar.

Festival headliners were Zhang Yimou’s spy-thriller "Cliff Walkers" and Fruit Chan’s eccentric Hong Kong real estate-based horror-soaked, "Coffin Homes". 

Hits from the past 12 months at the nine-day hybrid online/physical event included Chinese director Guan Hu’s war epic "The Eight Hundred", while debuts included the world premiere of Emily Chan’s love story Madalena, set in Macau, and Jimmy Wan’s Hong Kong paralympian biopic "Zero to Hero". 

Two industry sidebars – Focus Asia and Ties That Bind – focused on co-production, including Vietnamese producer Hang Luong Nguyen’s new project, queer drama "Youthfully Yours" directed by Dinh Le Minh Trinh ("Goodbye Mother"). 

During the three-day Ties That Bind programme, Hang said she wanted to broaden her horizons in terms of co-production partners and look to Europe to secures financing for more artistic and daring projects. 

“I thought okay, I have to learn how to do this myself,” she said. “The only way to make things happen is to do that and that’s why I started apply to workshops like Ties That Bind.”

In all, Focus Asia and Ties That Bind attracted 36 projects in various stages of development for workshops, lectures and networking events.

The line-up was – as always – wildly eclectic, from a China/U.S. co-production Ash Valley directed by Shu Zu, to Sun Hee Engelstoft’s drama "Lost Daughter", a Denmark/South Korea co-production. 

Event highlights included Japanese helmer Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Berlin award-winning drama "Wheel of Fortune" and "Fantasy" and Hong Kong first-timer Sunny Lau’s "Sugar Street Studio", a homage to old Hong Kong horror films. 

"Sugar Street Studio" was one of eight Hong Kong films screened at FEFF as a part of the “Hong Kong New Talents” programme, which kicked off at Udine before travelling to cities in Europe, North America and Asia.

The second edition of festival’s Far East In Progress industry section – for Asian works in progress – came with a US$15,000 108 Media Distribution Award prize. The winner was social media-themed drama "Reborn" – a Malaysia/China co-production produced by Joanne Goh (Jazzy Pictures) and directed by Danny Pang.

FEFF’s Golden Mulberry prize for the best film went to Japanese director Uchida Eiji’s "Midnight Swan", a story about a middle school student who moves in with her transgender aunt. The screwball Japanese romantic comedy "You’re Not Normal, Either!", directed by Maeda Koji won the Silver Mulberry, and Taiwanese director’s Chen Yu-hsun’s romance "My Missing Valentine" took the Bronze Mulberry.
 
FEFF awarded the White Mulberry prize for the best first film to Chan Kin-long’s "Hand Rolled Cigarette", a Hong Kong crime film about a former British colonial army officer and a small-time drug dealer from South Asia.

The jury also gave a special mention to Chinese director Cao Jinling’s environmental-themed drama "Anima". A Golden Mulberry for lifetime achievement went to Bologna’s film restoration laboratory L’Immagine Ritrovata.

Jenni Leppihuhta attended the online version of this year’s FEFF as part of its annual Campus programme for aspiring film journalists and critics