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The 27th edition of the Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Udine, Italy, concluded this weekend with China’s “Her Story” taking home the Golden Mulberry award, marking a significant triumph for female filmmakers at the event.

Director Yihui Shao’s box office hit claimed the festival’s top honor, awarded by audience votes, while Hong Kong’s “The Last Dance – Extended Version” by Anselm Chan secured the Silver Mulberry. Mainland China dominated the podium as director Yin Lichuan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” rounded out the winners with the Crystal Mulberry.

This year’s results highlighted gender equality in Asian cinema, with two of the three top prizes awarded to female directors from mainland China. The victories came as part of a festival edition that organizers described as “particularly attentive to social issues.”

The festival, which ran from April 24 to May 2 at Udine’s Teatro Nuovo and Visionario venues,...

Chinese comedy-drama Her Story scooped the Golden Mulberry for best film at the Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Udine, Italy.

Shao Yihui’s feminist feature is about a single mother and her friendship with a new female neighbour, which proved a major box office hit when released in China last November, grossing nearly $100m.

Scroll down for full list of winners

Feff’s top awards are decided by a public vote and saw the Silver Mulberry go to the extended version of The Last Dance, Anselm Chan’s funeral rites drama that ranks as Hong Kong’s biggest local film of all time.

Taiwan industry icon Sylvia Chang will receive the Golden Mulberry lifetime achievement award at the 27th Far East Film Festival, which has set Chinese comedy “Green Wave” as its opening film.

The Far East Film Festival is set to once again transform the Italian city of Udine into a vibrant Asian cultural hub with its most expansive edition yet, showcasing 75 titles from 11 countries, including 7 world premieres, 15 international premieres, 20 European premieres, and 19 Italian premieres.

This year’s lineup specifically examines “time and society through cinema,” with selections that reflect current Asian social phenomena. The opening film, Chinese comedy “Green Wave” from director Xu Lei, explores the “tangping” movement (young people metaphorically “lying down” in rejection of ultra-competitive career paths), while films like “Upstream” address the gig economy. Female directors Yihui Shao and Yin Lichuan bring stories of gender equality with “Her Story” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”

Japan’s “Teki Cometh...

If Asia is a galaxy, contemporary Asia is the planet the Far East Film Festival (Feff) of Udine has observed since its first edition in 1999. Now in its 27th year, the festival remains focused on the evolving landscape of Asian cinema. This year’s lineup includes 75 titles from 11 countries: 7 world premieres, 15 international premieres, 20 European premieres, and 19 Italian premieres. The selection spans popular cinema, auteur films, and tributes to the past, offering a deep look at today’s Asia.

Graphic designer Roberto Rosolin captures this perspective in Feff’s official image, reinforcing the festival’s ever-curious gaze.

In 2024, legendary filmmaker Zhang Yimou received the Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement Award at Feff. This year, the honor goes to a queen of Asian cinema: Sylvia Chang—actress, singer, director, screenwriter, producer, and radio DJ. “Icon” may be overused, but few words truly capture her impact. Audiences will be able to celebrate her...

In the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, a shy art student named Saruul finds her life moving in a surprising new direction. Veteran director Janchivdorj Sengedorj skillfully guides us through Saruul’s journey of self-discovery in his latest film, The Sales Girl.

Sengedorj has established himself as one of Mongolia’s most talented storytellers. In The Sales Girl, he once again focuses on the experiences of youth, capturing the exploration and uncertainties of coming of age. Saruul is played beautifully by newcomer Bayarjargal Bayartsetseg, who brings a quiet depth to her role. When a classmate breaks her leg, Saruul agrees to fill in at a temporary job, little realizing how much it would influence her. She now works at a sex shop, introducing her to a fascinating new world.

Through Saruul’s time at the shop, we meet Katya, a mysterious older woman who owns the business. Portrayed by veteran actress Enkhtuul Oidovjamts,...

Synopsis

When college coed Saruul takes a temporary job as a clerk in a sex shop, her poker-faced indifference makes her the perfect foil for the shop's clientele, who range from slightly sheepish and cautiously curious to downright perverse. But it's the shop's flamboyant, eccentric female owner who initiates Saruul's journey into adulthood – taking her under her wing, teaching her the art of living, and gently guiding her on the path to self-discovery. This joyfully quirky, “candid big-city coming-of-age story” (Variety) from Janchivdorj Sengedorj, “one of the best voices of contemporary cinema in Mongolia” (Asian Movie Pulse), is fueled by a splendidly original script, utterly unique characters and unexpected encounters.

“The Sales Girl” will be streaming on VOD and Digital starting May 24, 2024, courtesy of Film Movememt

Select Festivals/Awards

Udine Far East Film Festival (2023) | Winner, Audience Award, Nominee for Best Screenplay

Vesoul Asian Film Festival (2023) | Winner, Best Film

Bangkok World Film Festival (2023) | Nominee,...

by Filippo Recaneschi

Festivals are a must-have for every cinephile. That is more than true if you love Asian cinema, since almost only major titles get to be seen outside Asia. In the last 25 years, Far East Film Festival (Feff), held in Udine, Italy, has provided a catering of such movies for western audiences. In its 25th edition, held from 21st to 29th of April, Feff provided a unique selection of Asian movies and a variety of Asian-related events. The selection varied from works from first-feature directors as well as well-navigated ones, ranging from genre movies to arthouse independent movies.

It is impossible to talk about this year’s festival without mentioning Hirobumi Watanabe, which participated as both director and actor. One of his films is “Techno Brothers” (2023) a quirky road movie about two brothers making techno music and their cynical agent Himuro (Asuna Yanagi). The plot revolves around their...

Social drama directed by Jin Ong picked up three prizes.

Social drama Abang Adik has become the first feature from Malaysia to win the Golden Mulberry at the Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Udine, Italy.

The directorial debut feature of Jin Ong follows two undocumented men, played by Taiwan’s Wu Kang-Ren and Malaysia’s Jack Tan, one of whom is a deaf-mute and whose relationship is upset after an accident.

Ong attended the festival and collected the top prize as well as the White Mulberry for best debut feature and a further award voted by the festival’s Black Dragon season pass holders.

Malaysian social drama “Abang Adik” was named best film and winner of the Golden Mulberry prize on Sunday at the Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine.

The film is a story of two undocumented and orphaned men, who may or may not be real brothers, but who lift each other up. The film’s director Jin Ong collected the White Mulberry prize for best debut feature and “Abang Adik” added a third prize decided by the festival’s season pass holders.

Second place on the podium went to South Korea with Chang Hang-jun’s “Rebound,” while third place went to “Yudo,” by Japan’s Suzuki Masayuki.

Other prizes included a Mulberry for best screenplay which went to “Day Off” by Taiwanese director Fu Tien-Yu and the prize from the readers of MYmovieswhich went to Janchivdorj Sengedorj’s Mongolian comedy “The Sales Girl.”

The previously-announced Golden Mulberry lifetime achievement...

The pioneering Far East Film Festival (Feff), held annually in the picturesque Northern Italian city of Udine, continued making history with its 25th-anniversary edition this year. At the closing ceremony on Sunday, Malaysian drama Abang Adik, written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Jin Ong, achieved a clean sweep of the highest prizes, marking the first time that a film from the Southeast Asian nation took top honors at the specialty festival.

Abang Adik won Feff’s first-place Golden Mulberry audience award, as well as the Black Dragon critics’ prize and the White Mulberry Award for best first feature. Ong is a veteran figure of the Malaysian entertainment industry, having worked in the music business and film and TV production for many years (he’s produced well-received films like Shuttle Life, 2017; and Miss Andy, 2020; among others), but Abang Adik is his first film as a writer and director. The movie...

The 25th edition of the prestigious Udine Far East Film Festival came to an end on Saturday night. After a totally digital edition in 2020, a hybrid edition in 2021, and a “semi-traditional” edition in 2022, this year the Festival has been able to joyfully re-savour its full length, interrupted (not to say broken) by the Covid-19 pandemic, and all the persistent health restrictions. An entirety demonstrated not only by the record numbers of the line-up, but also by the record number of guests of honour (200), finally free to travel and to reach the Udinese red carpet.

Looking already forward to the next edition, let's have a look at the winners of this year.

Mulberry Audience Awards

1st place: Abang Adik by Jin Ong

2nd place: Rebound by Chang Hang-jun

3rd place: Yudo by Masayuki Suzuki

Black Dragon Critics Award

Abang Adik by Jin Ong

White Mulberry Award for First Film

Abang Adik...

Johnnie To, Watanabe Hirobumi and Jang Sun-woo set to attend.

The Far East Film Festival (Feff), held in the Italian town of Udine, has revealed the full line-up for its landmark 25th edition, which is set to include appearances from filmmakers Johnnie To, Watanabe Hirobumi and Jang Sun-woo.

Running April 21-29, the festival will open with a double bill: He Shuming’s Ajoomma, the first co-production between Singapore and South Korea; and black comedy Bad Education by Taiwan’s Giddens Ko. It will close with Zhang Yimou’s Chinese blockbuster Full River Red.

The festival will screen 78 Asian films from 14 countries,...

Udine Far East Film Festival is back with a record line-up to celebrate its 25th edition. 78 films, 14 countries, 9 world premieres – Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement to Baisho Chieko – On the red carpet also Johnnie To, Watanabe Hirobumi and Jang Sun-woo.

If there are 78 films (record number!) and they come from 14 countries, it should certainly be emphasized that the line-up includes 15 women directors and 12 newcomers. In brief, the 2023 selection aims to restore great complexity more than ever of Asia. A selection that combines the recent past with today, seamlessly, among different communities, different expectations and choices of life, languages and dialects, politics, religions, habits, inclinations, beliefs, myths and legends and, last but not least, different gender identities. A selection that tells in real time how the cinematography of East and Southeast Asia have re-emerged from the sad period of the pandemic, not all in the same way, and not all with the same results.

Janchivdorj Sengedorj’s “The Sales Girl” (Mongolia), Asif Rustamov’s “Cold As Marble” (Azerbaijan), Ken Kwek’s “#LookAtMe” (Singapore) and Nader Saeivar’s “No End” (Iran) were among the winners at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema on Tuesday.

“The Sales Girl,” which played at Busan and won awards at the New York and Osaka Asian film festivals, won the Golden Cyclo, the festival’s top honor awarded by the international jury.

“Cold as Marble,” which has played at Talinn Black Nights and the Goa festivals, took home three awards, including the grand jury prize and the Marc Haaz and Netpac jury prizes.

“No End” won the critics choice award and the international jury award, sharing the latter prize with Kim Min-ju’s “A Letter From Kyoto” (Korea), which also was recognized with a special mention by the National Institute of Oriental Languages ​​and Civilizations (Inalco) jury. The...

“The Sales Girl” is the new effort from Mongolian director Janchivdorj Sengedorj, who has established himself as one of the most interesting talents of Mongolian film industry. Sengedorj has a magic touch with young people and not only in directing them but also in seeing through their eyes and telling their stories. In the urban setting of “The Sales Girl” too, there is a young woman learning to fly.

“The Sales Girl” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema

It all starts from a banana, coincidentally the more phallic fruit of all. When student Namuuna slips on a banana skin and breaks her leg, she is forced to find a temporary replacement for her afternoon job that requires a great deal of discretion. And who better than shy and loner fellow student Saruul (Bayartsetseg Bayangerel) can guarantee secrecy? It doesn’t take long to convince Saruul that...

On the JoBlo Movies YouTube channel, we will be posting one full movie every day of the week, giving viewers the chance to watch them entirely free of charge. Today’s Free Movie of the Day is the inspirational sports drama White Blessing, and you can watch the movie over on the YouTube channel linked above, or you can just watch it in the embed at the top of this article.

Directed by Janchivdorj Sengedorj from a screenplay by Nomuunzul Turmunkh, this 2017 Mongolian production has the following synopsis:

White Blessing is the amazing true of a girl who fights against cultural norms to become a champion judo fighter. Both heroes defy rigid gender stereotypes, with the help of supportive adults who encourage their dreams. Just as in a timeless fairy tale, these characters cross from the wrong side of the tracks to succeed against all odds. White Blessing is a...

The 20th anniversary edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) closed out an epic 17-day run on Sunday night, after welcoming nearly 100 acclaimed filmmakers, international stars and other notable guests from across Asia and the US, screening over 60 films in-theater at Film at Lincoln Center (Flc) and Asia Society from July 15 – 31, hosting a range of masterclasses and compelling talk sessions, and smashing festival attendance records.

The 20th anniversary lineup included six world premieres, eight international premieres, 20 North American premieres, four US premieres, and 15 East Coast/New York premieres, showcasing the most exciting new action, comedy, drama, thriller, romance, horror, and art-house films from Hong Kong, Japan, China, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Mongolia, Singapore, and the United States.

Prior to the screening of the Nyaff Closing Film, time-travel sci-fi epic Alienoid, from blockbuster Korean director Choi Dong-hoon, the festival announced two Audience Award winners and...

Janchivdorj Sengedorj’s ‘The Sales Girl’ picked up best feature film

Korean comedy drama ‘Perhaps Love’ and Coba Cheng’s Hong Kong family comedy Chilli Laugh Story took home the audience awards at New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), which wrapped its 20th edition on July 31.

Chilli Laugh Story was a box office hit in Hong Kong cinemas, having beaten out Thor: Love And Thunder, and screened in the Next/Now strand during the festival’s 17-day run.

Other Nyaff winners included Janchivdorj Sengedorj’s Mongolian coming-of-age comedy The Sales Girl, which took the Uncaged award for best feature given...

The 20th edition of the festival will return as a full in-person event in July.

The New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) has unveiled the full line-up for its 20th edition, which will include honorary awards for Japanese horror director Takashi Shimizu, acclaimed Japanese actor Hiroshi Abe and South Korean rising star Kim Hye-yoon.

This year will mark Nyaff’s fully-fledged return to the big screen, following a virtual 2020 edition and a hybrid event in 2021. More than 60 new and classic titles from Asia, including six world premieres, will be presented as in-person screenings at Film at Lincoln Center (Flc) and the Asia Society,...

“The Sales Girl” is the new effort from Mongolian director Janchivdorj Sengedorj, who has established himself as one of the most interesting talents of Mongolian film industry. Sengedorj has a magic touch with young people and not only in directing them but also in seeing through their eyes and telling their stories. In the urban setting of “The Sales Girl” too, there is a young woman learning to fly.

The Sales Girl is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival

It all starts from a banana, coincidentally the more phallic fruit of all. When student Namuuna slips on a banana skin and breaks her leg, she is forced to find a temporary replacement for her afternoon job that requires a great deal of discretion. And who better than shy and loner fellow student Saruul (Bayartsetseg Bayangerel) can guarantee secrecy? It doesn’t take long to convince Saruul that the money is...

It is always a pleasure to watch good films from lesser-known movie industries, and Janchivdorj Sengedorj proves that his command of the medium is getting better with each film he shoots.

I, The Sunshine is available from Mongol Films Distribution

The film unfolds in three episodes, narrated from the son of a family who tells the life stories of his father, his mother, and in the end, his own. The first part takes place in the Mongolian steppe during the summer. School’s out and all the members of a small commune wait each day to be picked up by a track, in order to go to the only place with a TV and watch their favorite soap opera. Bodi’s father eventually buys a TV set, but because their ger is placed in a very low altitude, the antenna cannot pick the signal. Bodi and two friends begin an effort to find a solution,...

“How far can you escape from your husband?”

In his fourth feature film, Mongolian director Janchivdorj Sengedorj explores the themes of domestic violence, dependency, and how to escape the kind of vicious circle these aspects can create. Even though Mongolian women’s status in society is better compared to other Asian states, recent trends show how political and social change have altered the face of the country. In a report written by Morris Rossabi for Asian Society, for example, the author explains how cutbacks have resulted in a rise in unemployment, which in return increased the rate of alchol-related crimes and domestic abuse. Besides the rate of divorces increasing due to these developments, many women demand governmental action to “criminalize domestic violence.”Ultimately, “One Life of Two Women” may be seen as a mirror to some of these developments.

On the outside, Lardima (D. Purevsuren) and her husband Batsuuri (Geresukh...