Taiwan and India in the spotlight at the 30th Vesoul IFF of Asian Cinema (February 6-13, 2024)
The 30th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (February 6-13, 2024) will feature 92 films, including 52 never-before-seen films from 29 countries, under the banner of commitment!
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian director with 60 international awards to his credit, is President of the Jury. Other members include Taiwanese director Zero Chou, winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin 2007, Fatemed Motamed-Arya, the most awarded Iranian actress in the history of Iranian cinema, and Japanese actor Shogen, cinema ambassador at the Sea-Okinawa Pan-Pacific International Film Festival.
The 17 films in the fiction and documentary competitions come from China, Korea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Taiwan. Four are French premieres, six European premieres, five international premieres and two world premieres.
Feature Film Competition :
China: All Ears by Liu Jiayin – China (Tibet): The Snow Leopard by Pema Tseden – Korea: Work to Do by Park Hong-jun – India: The Spark by Rajesh S. Jala – Iran: Maria by Mahdi Asghari Azghadi – Kazakhstan: Scream by Kenzhebek Shaikakov – Uzbekistan: Sunday by Shokir Kholikov – Sri Lanka: Paradise by Prasanna Vithanage – Thailand: Solids by the Seashore by Patiparn Boontarig.
Documentary Film Competition :
Bangladesh: Education on the Boat- A New Hope for Tomorrow by KM Taj-Biul Hasan –China: Oreilles immergés, yeux teints by Jean-Sébastien Héry –Korea: Mihos’ Journey by Shekh Al Mamun –India: The Leopard Tribe by Miriam Chandy Menacherry –Iran: Can I Hug You by Elahe Esmaili –Nepal: Age of Learning by Shuvangi Khadka –Taiwan: Island of Mountains 2: A Sky-high Confession by Howard Cheng –Taiwan: Taiwan, chronicle of a threatened democracy by Jean-Robert Thomann.
Commitment is the theme of the 30th Vesoul IFF Asian Cinema: 30 years is a lifetime of discovery, research, passion, work and investment. The films in this theme feature people committed to art, politics, trade unions, sport, religion, justice, the search for truth, their profession, societal struggles (the death penalty, feminism, etc.).
In these geopolitically troubled times, our commitment is to offer a look at the cinema of Taiwan: 1950 – 2023, highlighting Taiwan’s political, economic and societal evolution in its long march towards democracy.
Talented filmmakers (Pan Lei, Hsin Chi, Mou Tun Fei, Lee Hsing, King Hu) had to play cat-and-mouse with censors during Chiang Kai-shek’s authoritarian regime (1949-1975). In the 80s and 90s, as society moved towards democracy, a new Taiwanese cinema emerged (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, Ang Lee, Tsai Ming liang award-winning directors at international festivals), … The 21st century sees the emergence of a new generation (Chang Tso-chi, Huang Hsin-yao), and of female Taiwanese cinema (Sylvia Chang, Zero Chou, Laha Mebow,…).
Sound engineer Tu Duu-chih (In the Mood for Move, Yiyi, A City of Sadness,…) and director Zero Chou (Spider Lilies, Untold Herstory, …) will receive an honorary Cyclo d’or for their entire work.
Commitment is a look at the committed Indian cinema of Mollywood, from the state of Kerala, in the Malayalam language, a cinema closer to Italian neo-realism than to the grand spectacle of Bollywood, tackling societal subjects with talent, using the codes of genre cinema: thriller, crime film, comedy, social satire, plot-driven film, road movie, etc. This innovative cinema, coming from a major emerging power, India, overturns clichés and stereotypes.
Commitment is also the hallmark of NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) and VIFFAC, both working to promote awareness and recognition of Asian cinema. 30 years of FICA means 2,200 films presented, 950 guests, 200 loyal volunteers to bring dreams to 700,000 spectators.
To celebrate both the 30th anniversary of VIFFAC and the 30th anniversary of the NETPAC prize, a selection of films awarded the NETPAC prize in Vesoul will be presented.
We’re also committed to passing on a taste for cinematic culture to young people, the spectators of tomorrow, through Japanimation films and films for young audiences.
Round tables, evening events, debates, entertainment, games, concerts, dances and poetry will surround the screenings from 10 a.m. to midnight.
Let’s all commit to celebrating this 30th anniversary!
