The success of our Submit Your Film Initiative continued this year in the same pace, as we received more than 80 submissions from all over Asia, including a number of Asian-American titles, with the features' submissions this year being close to the one of shorts. As such, we would like to thank all the filmmakers who submitted their work and we hope that they continue to do so for many years to come and also to hint on a very significant update regarding the initiative and the ‘future' of the films submitted, which will announce at the beginning of 2023.
At the same time, we also felt the need to celebrate this initiative by listing the movies we considered the best. Without further ado, here are the best #SubmitYourFilm Movies of 2023, in random order. (By clicking on the title, you can read the full review of the film).
1. Heaven Rain Flows Sweetly (2023) by Shasha Li (China)
Despite its somewhat experimental nature, “Heaven Rain Flows Sweetly” is actually a film quite easy to watch, while Li's prowess in all the cinematic aspects of the movie becomes quite evident throughout its duration, and particularly in the presentation of her comments. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
2. Death and Ramen (2023) by Tiger Ji (USA)
Regardless of that, though, the fact that Ji is able to pull off these emotionally charged elements successfully is a more important factor to the success of the short that is matched quite nicely with the success of the duo at the center of the film. Lee and Jones are fantastic to watch throughout here, as they share just about the entire time together, which allows this to build properly due to the relationship that grows between them. This all makes for a genuinely pleasant time that signals Ji as a talent to watch for in the future. (Don Anelli)
3. Detrimental (2023) by James Hung (China)
Overall, “Detrimental” has quite a lot to like. Among the stronger features of the film is the strong setup from writer/director Hung which has some intriguing elements at work. The whole approach of the setting here, with the future world stressed to the maximum and forced into utilizing this specific mineral as a way to keep the world functioning, comes across quite nicely. That gets compounded with the conditions that have to be met in order to access the material, working in dangerous underground mines with their senses impaired to allow the workers to get to the Ataca itself inside the rock. Despite being dropped into this scenario with nothing more than a few lines of a preamble, the general gist of the setup works rather nicely and also provides enough to get to know Cain and the rest of the crew who work at the station. Seeing the ingenuity that goes into how the various cliques operate and what the workers are accomplishing, there is quite enjoyable and all leads to a solid setup in place. (Don Anelli)
4. She Sings to Birds (2023) by Steven J Martin (Japan)
“She Sings to Birds” is the collective's most cinematic work so far, and a movie that definitely deserves a watch for the entertainment it offers while touching on a series of serious subjects. It is also a most welcome step in the path of the group, which I am excited to see where it will lead them. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
5. Enflightenment (2023) by Teo Wey Yinn (Malaysia)
“Enflightenment” is essentially an experimental short posing as something art-house, in an approach, though, that works quite well, in a movie that is quite easy to watch, and definitely provides some food for thought through its flying metaphor. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
6. Smile Please (2021) by Bakul Matiyani (India)
Matiyani directs a 20-minutes short that highlight how undiagnosed diseases can impede the lives of people and particularly children, showing the consequences from the reactions to Ali's complete lack of reaction to any kind of stimulation. At the same time, however, and essentially as a cure to even this type of issues, Matiyani showcases the concept of friendship, with Ali's relationship with Rajan essentially being the one that helps him to both talk about his feelings and ask a favor from his father for the first time. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
7. Spaces Underlined (2023) by Vania Qanita Damayanti, Syady Alif and Roufy Nasution (Indonesia)
Chamber pieces are a strange cinematic genre. As is often the case with one-location films, it might be tempting to say that the genre belongs more in theatre than it does cinema, but when you begin to measure the challenge of making a setting as interesting as the characters inhabiting it, a rather high bar is set. The filmmakers behind “Spaces Underlined” have grappled with that challenge three times over in an anthology of short stories, each a two-hander confined to different types of bedroom: first, a place of childhood tranquility, then a filthy college dorm room, and finally, a luxury hotel room. Does each tale meet the intimate challenge ahead of them? Despite some varying degrees of success, the answer is, fortunately, yes. (Simon Ramshaw)
8. Tetsu Kono's Crazy Routine (2016) by Forest Ian Etsler, Sebastien Simon (Korea)
“Tetsu Kono's Crazy Routine” is an intriguing documentary about a rather enigmatic man, that definitely deserves to become a feature in order to fully reveal the “secret” aspects of this very interesting personality. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
9. Canary (2023) by Taka Tsubota (USA)
Taka Tsubota creates a rather suffocating setting, since the cabin is a space where bullying is the rule and the outside is infested with monsters. The intense close ups, the red colors that dominate along with the shadows, and the inevitable physical violence that follows the verbal one, intensify the concept, with the same applying to the monstrous sounds heard periodically in the film. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
10. Mental Finger (2023) by Irvan Achmad and Calista Aradea (Indonesia)
“Mental Finger” is a thought-provoking and entertaining short film that skillfully explores gender dynamics and toxic behavior through the lens of a badminton match. With strong performances, effective direction, and clever cinematography, the film delivers a powerful message while keeping the audience engaged and entertained. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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