Showcase of the best FILMS in the world today. Here are the awards for the March 2024 ASIAN Festival season. Over 400 films were submitted and these are the best of the best from around the world today. We are proud to showcase these amazing films that fall under the ASIAN filmmaker umbrella.
Audience Award Winners:
Best Short Form Short Film: DAISY
Best Long Form Short Film: ELSEWHERE WITH THE TAINTED VEIL
Best Direction: EMIRI
Best Performances: DEAR JANE
Best Comedy Film: WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Best Experimental Film: in silence is the offering presented
Best Relationship Film: KID HEART
Best Story: SCHOOL BELL
Best Animation Film: NOOR
Best Student Film: BIRDCAGE
See info for each film:
EMIRI, 5min., USA, Drama
Directed by Eddie Yukun Long
Emiri, a Japanese girl who escapes her hometown to a foreign city accidentally discovers another Japanese girl with the same name and connects with her by listening to her recorded answering machine messages.
https://songosh7.wixsite.com/eddieyukunlong
WHAT DO YOU WANT? , 7min., Comedy
Directed by Al Chang
A couple’s hunger-fueled indecisiveness about where to eat sparks a showdown, pushing them to the edge as they must find a satisfying meal and save their relationship.
in silence is the offering presented, 8min., USA
Directed by Li Chiao-Ping
This short screendance work takes its title “in silence is the offering presented” from a quote attributed to Chinese philosopher Confucius, which is instructive of peace over violence. Looking across the body of water, memories of homeland and feelings of displacement merge as the two main characters, mother and son, find themselves as refugees. Home, hope, dreams, safety, security, and love can be found in the silence. With choreography and direction by Li Chiao-Ping, cinematography, editing, and sound design by Christal Wagner, music by Byron Au Yong, and performance by Li Chiao-Ping and Jacob Li Dai-Loong Rosenberg, the evocative images in “in silence is the offering presented” reflect their experimental and collaborative approach to this expressive work.
KID HEART, 11min., Japan
Directed by Meg Igarashi
A grandpa that’s heartbroken, a mother that’s disappointed, and a granddaughter that’s not ready to give up on the family. A Japanese heartwarming musical!
https://www.instagram.com/kidheartfilm
SCHOOL BELL, 3min., India
Directed by B. Suresh Kumar
Importance of education is conveyed through a Child Laborer’s Point of View.
https://www.facebook.com/babusureshkumar
https://www.twitter.com/sureshkumardft
https://www.instagram.com/sureshkumar_1971
DAISY, 5min., India, Spain
Directed by Aditi Dixit, Joffrey Atienza Zamora, Shecid Domínguez Aguilera
In the depths of darkness lies a music box which opens to reveal a young girl dressed in a petal dress. As the spotlight illuminates her, she discovers her ability to make music with her movements, which engages her to dance. Unbeknownst to her, eerie eyes observe her dance, causing petals to pluck out from her dress. Suddenly, she realizes that she is being watched by these eerie eyes. Desperate to escape, she struggles against her captors, only to be confined within the music box. However, a twist of fate unfolds as another child emerges from a new music box.
https://www.facebook.com/daisystopmotionfilm/
https://instagram.com/daisy_stopmotionfilm?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
ELSEWHERE WITH THE TAINTED VEIL, 23min., Myanmar
Directed by Min Thu Han
A girl who can speak to the mask her mother gave her. She wants to get free from the obsession with faces. When the coup happened on February 1st, she found the path of freedom with the determination to stand with righteousness. However, when struggling in a foreign country as a refugee, will she be able to overcome her mental illness. The path she has to take is full of challenges.
https://filmfreeway.com/MinthuHan
https://www.facebook.com/minthu.han.35?mibextid=ZbWKwL
https://www.twitter.com/min55692
https://www.instagram.com/minthu.han.35?igsh=dWd1NmwxdXUyZmh4
DEAR JANE, 19min., Thailand
Directed by Worawee Ekpoothorn
Jane, a young woman suffering from an end of a 5-year relationship with her ex-lover, yearned for someone to confide in and share her frustrations. One day, she stumbled upon a booth advertised as a safe and free space for individuals to express themselves by telling stories. Jane made the courageous decision to visit the booth. There, she met Dear, a compassionate young woman who attentively listened to Jane’s words and provided solace. The two of them engaged in a meaningful conversation.
https://www.instagram.com/dearjane.withacomma
NOOR, 5min., India
Directed by Pritha Mukherjee
An elderly man, perceived differently by the world around him, lives in a home surrounded by photos and memorabilia from his past, particularly from his time as a sergeant in the Indian Army during the Kargil War. These artifacts from his past have a profound emotional significance for him, as he has no one else for company. After a typical boyhood and adolescence, he enlisted in the army. Upon returning from the battlefield, however, his life was anything but typical. The horrors and discipline of war had changed him profoundly. No longer able to relate to the nuances and emotions of civilian life, he became increasingly detached and isolated, leading to strained personal relationships. For him, peace in the outside world did not equate to peace within. The modern societal norms further alienated him, exacerbating his trauma.
BIRDCAGE, 14min,. USA
Directed by Ash Zhou
The mother, stripped of her maternal identity post-divorce, is unable to sit in the chair marked with her daughter’s name or ascend the stage to celebrate her child’s award, a situation ironically contrasted with the stepmother’s attitude. In the last scene, when the mother drives to see her daughter, intent to escape the intangible cage with her daughter, she only witnesses the stepmother coercing the child to discard her award.
https://www.instagram.com/film.birdcage
Asian Feedback Film Festival 