The full line-up for the 17th edition of the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) has been announced.
The films chosen for this year's festival come to a record number of 77 in total, and these include 24 World Premieres, 13 International Premieres, and 28 Japan Premieres. Films from a record number of 31 countries and regions, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, the UK, Germany, Hungary, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the USA, and Japan, will be screened.
(10 films from Osaka Asian Film Festival Online have been screened at previous OAFFs and are therefore not included in the above number of films and countries.)
Presented by: Osaka Executive Committee for the Promotion of Moving Image Culture
Dates: March 10 – March 20, 2022
Online (Selected films from previous OAFF programs): March 3 – March 21, 2022
For the full line-up of OAFF 2022, please visit the Official Website: http://www.oaff.jp/2022/en/program/index.html
[Opening Film]
Yanagawa
Directed by ZHANG Lu/2021/China, Japan, Korea/Japan Premiere
[Closing Film]
Miss Osaka
Directed by Daniel DENCIK/2021/Denmark, Norway, Japan/Japan Premiere
[Competition] 15 films
This section will present 15 films chosen from films completed on or after October 1, 2020 and unreleased in Japan. The jurors will choose the winners of the Grand Prix and Most Promising Talent Award from these films.
[Spotlight] 11 films
In this section, the films are not yet famous but are expected to gain attention this year because they highlight a new talent or movement in cinema. With the support of Kobe College, Department of English, the Bangladeshi film “No Ground Beneath the Feet” will be screened.
[Indie Forum] 16 films
This program will present 16 films by innovative and challenging talents. The JAPAN CUTS AWARD will be bestowed by the Japan Society to one Japanese film selected from this section (including Special Screenings and Director in Focus: HIGASHI Kahori).
[Indie Forum – Special Screenings] 2 films
The indie forum hosts two special screenings, the first, “The Second Sino-Japanese War in a Toy Film” will be screened with a live piano performance, and the documentary “YU-GEKI~side story of “Love's Twisting Path”~” will be screened.
[Indie Forum – Director in Focus: HIGASHI Kahori] 2 films
There will be a focus on up-and-coming director HIGASHI Kahori with the screenings of her MOOSIC LAB film “Melting Sounds”, scheduled for nationwide release in 2022, and her latest work “The Residents”.
[Director in Focus: YOKOHAMA Satoko] 8 films
YOKOHAMA Satoko is one of the most notable filmmakers of our time, having won both the Grand Prix and the Audience Award for her film “Ito” at the 16th OAFF in 2021. Her works, a mixture of early shorts, TV episodes and features will be screened including the first ever theatrical screening of “Honsundonsukosuko” (2014), which is an original work written by YOKOHAMA for the TBS/MBS documentary program “Jounetsu Tairiku”. First broadcast in December 2014, the program focuses on actor SUZUKI Ryohei. This work also features UNO Shohei, an actor who regularly appears in YOKOHAMA's films.
[Special Programs – New Action! Southeast Asia] 6 films
This special program highlights new movements in Southeast Asian cinema and features a wide variety of films.
[Special Programs – Taiwan: Movies on the Move 2022] 8 films (Including 1 Competition section film)
In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan and the Taiwan Cultural Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, OAFF will feature a wide range of works, from a precious digitally remastered version of a Taiwanese classic to works that will enable the audience feel the “now” of the booming Taiwanese movie scene.
TAIWAN GALA SCREENING
The World Premiere of the first episode of the seven-episode series “Twisted Strings” will be given a gala screening at OAFF.
[Special Programs – Special Focus on Hong Kong 2022] 6 films (Including 3 Competition section films)
This special program will present a wide range of excellent films from contemporary Hong Kong.
HONG KONG GALA SCREENING
A special gala screening of the crime drama “Time” will be held with the cooperation of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region Economic and Trade Office Tokyo.
[Special Screenings] 3 films
This section will present three films from Asia which are judged to be both beautifully shot and topical.
[Supported Program – Housen Cultural Foundation: Support for film study and production]
4 films (Including 2 Indie Forum section films)
Based in Osaka, the Housen Cultural Foundation supports film study and production in graduate schools. This program will show the four films supported by the Housen Cultural Foundation.
[Osaka Asian Film Festival Online – Theater ONE] 10 films
From the rich selection of works that have been screened at OAFF in the past, titles have been selected that are now perfect to reintroduce to the world. For many titles, this will be their online debut (all available to a worldwide audience). As the Online Opening Film, the Japanese movie “Torso”, directed by YAMAZAKI Yutaka and starring WATANABE Makiko and ANDO Sakura, will be screened.
Dates: March 03, 10:00/12:00* – March 21, 23:59
*The first film, “Torso” will be available to view from 10:00 am, and the rest will be available from 12:00 pm.
Price: Feature-length film: 1000 JPY per film, Short film: 500 JPY per film, Theater ONE PASS: 5000 JPY
The above prices are valid for purchase from Japan. Prices for purchase from outside Japan vary according to area. Prices will be shown on each film page.
