Udine Far East Film Festival Confirms Lineup for 22nd Online Edition

Despite having postponed from its usual April dates, the Udine Far East Film Festival is the latest to shift online in response to the ongoing global pandemic which is conspiring to keep us all away from cinema screens for the foreseeable future. From 26th June to 4th July, the festival will be making 46 films available for online streaming via www.mymovies.it. While most will be available on an on demand basis, Galas will stream live once only. Inevitably, there are a number of geographical restrictions in place which have been noted below.

China

Better Days – Derek Tsang’s Soul Mate followup stars Zhou Dongyu as a bullied young woman bonding with a bad boy played by boyband superstar Jackson Yee. Review. Italy only. Closing film gala
The Captain – tense thriller from Andrew Lau inspired by the real life story of a heroic pilot who landed his plane safely with no loss of life after disaster struck in the skies. Review. Worldwide (excl. China PRC)
Changfeng Town – nostalgic hometown drama. Italy only
An Insignificant Affair – love story directed by Ning Yuanyuan. Italy Only

Hong Kong

Chasing Dream – stylish romance from Johnnie To in which a boxer and singer fight for their respective dreams. Worldwide
Ip Man 4, The Finale – Donnie Yen returns in the series finale which sees Ip Man take on racism in ’60s San Fransisco. Review. Italy only
Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy – “sequel” in name only starring the same actors as Line Walker in which HK police take on an international child smuggling terrorist syndicate. Italy only
My Prince Edward – a woman working at a bridal shop has met her Prince Charming and wants to get married, the only problem being the sham marriage she was paid to take part in several years previously. Review. Italy only gala
Suk Suk – two older men find love and embrace their sexuality after a lifetime in the closet in Ray Yeung’s sensitive drama. Italy Only
The White Storm 2 Drug Lords – Herman Yau action drama starring Andy Lau and Louis Koo as a vigilante businessman and flamboyant drug lord respectively. Review. Italy Only

Indonesia

Gundala – superhero action from Joko Anwar. Italy only
Impetigore – Joko Anwar horror in which a woman returns to her village to claim an inheritance but is caught up in sinister goings on. Italy only

Japan

#HandballStrive – coming-of-age sports drama from Daigo Matsui set in the world of handball. Worldwide
A Beloved Wife – Screenwriter Shin Adachi’s autobiographical comedy about a troubled marriage. Worldwide
Colorless – love story between a photographer and a model. Europe only
Dance with Me – musical comedy from Shinobu Yaguchi in which a woman becomes accidentally hypnotised to break into Hollywood-style song and dance sequences every time she hears music. Review. Italy only
Minori, on the Brink – latest from Ryutaro Ninomiya in which a young woman courts controversy with her uncompromising authenticity. Review. Worldwide (except Japan)
My Sweet Grappa Remedies – latest from Akiko Ohku in which a lonely middle-aged woman finds love and friendship with the help of an outgoing colleague. Review. Worldwide (Except Japan, Mainland Chian, Taiwan, USA)
One Night – drama from Kazuya Shiraishi in which grown-up siblings attempt to process the traumatic night that broke their family apart. Italy only
Romance Doll – romantic drama from Yuki Tanada adapting her own book about a man who hides the fact he sculpts sex dolls for a living from his wife. Italy only
WOTAKOI – Love is Hard for Otaku – Yuichi Fukuda musical comedy adapted from the popular manga. Italy only

Malaysia

Soul – folk horror in which a family in the forest receives a visitation from a creepy little girl with a prophesy. Europe
Victim(s) – crime drama revolving around the mothers of a killer and the victim. Worldwide

The Philippines

Edward – coming of age drama in which a boy takes care of his hospitalised father. Worldwide
Sunod – horror in which a woman takes a job at a call centre to pay for her child’s medical care but it turns out to be haunted! Worldwide (Except The Philippines)

South Korea

Ashfall – big budget volcano-themed disaster movie starring Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo, and Ma Dong-seok. Europe only. Opening Film
Beasts Clawing at Straws – darkly humorous thriller in which a collection of desperate people are connected by a missing bag full of cash. Italy only
The Closet – horror starring Ha Jung-woo as an irresponsible father whose daughter goes missing after they move to a weird cottage in the middle of nowhere. Italy only
Crazy Romance – romantic comedy in which a couple bond over their shared traumatic romantic histories. Worldwide
Exit – a mountain climbing enthusiast is in his element when poison gas envelopes the city! Review. Italy only
The House of Us – lonely children ponder forming a family of their own in Yoon Ga-eun’s charming indie drama. Review. Europe only
Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 – feminist drama following an ordinary woman’s path into middle-age in a fiercely patriarchal society. Italy only
Lucky Chan-sil – film producer Chan-sil finds herself unemployed after the director she’d been working with suddenly dies, taking a job as a cleaning lady for an actress and bonding with a handsome French teacher. Italy only
The Man Standing Next – ’70s-style conspiracy thriller exploring the assassination of Park Chung-hee which is depicted in a much less serious fashion in the also streaming The President’s Last Bang. Italy Only
Vertigo – a young office worker is rescued from her sense of existential vertigo by the gentle presence of a chivalrous window washer. Europe only

Taiwan

Detention – horror-inflected video game adaptation dramatising the trauma of the “White Terror” martial law era. Review. Italy only
I WeirDO – madcap OCD rom-com shot on an iPhone. Italy only gala
We Are Champions – basketball drama in which two brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the court. Italy only

Out of Competition

Special Screenings

Labyrinth of Cinema – final film from Nobuhiko Obayashi in which three youngsters find themselves lost in the movies. Europe only (except UK)

Documentaries

I-Documentary of the Journalist – documentary following outspoken journalist Isoko Mochizuki. Europe only

Classics

Cheerful Wind – new restoration of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 1982 idol movie. Worldwide

Info Screenings

The President’s Last Bang – Im Sang-soo’s ironic take on the assassination of Park Chung-hee. Italy only

Special Tribute

Watanabe Hirobumi, Comic Poet of the Everyday

Cry – silent drama following the everyday life of a pig farmer living with his grandma. Worldwide
I am Really Good – comedy revolving around a group of children. Worldwide
Life Finds A Way – self referential comedy. Worldwide
Party ‘Round the Globe – an extroverted Beatles fan befriends a silent colleague. Review. Worldwide

The festival will be running on an accreditation basis with three price levels available all of which include access to the entire programme (subject to geographical restrictions), the basic Silver Ninja (€9.90), the Golden Samurai (€49) which also includes a copy of the festival catalogue, and the Platinum Shogun (€100) which includes the catalogue, a T-shirt, tote bag, and a discount on accreditations for next year’s festival. The accreditations also include access to FEFF’s new online streaming service set to launch this August for 1 month, 6 months, and 9 months respectively and go on sale from Monday 8th June via the official website.

The 22nd Udine Far East Film Festival will run online via www.mymovies.it from 26th June to 4th July. Full details will be shortly available via the official website and you can keep up with all the latest news by following the festival on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Tumblr.