'Wushu Orphan' director wins Spirit of Asia Award at 31st TIFF

November 12, 2018, 6:56 pm

TOKYO -- Chinese director Huang Huang won the Spirit of Asia Award for his film "Wushu Orphan" at the at the awarding ceremony of the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) on Nov. 2. 

SPIRIT OF ASIA. Chinese director Huang Huang wins the Spirit of Asia Award for the film 'Wushu Orphan' at the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival on Nov. 2, 2018. The award is given by the Japan Foundation Asia Center. (AsiaNet Photo)

The Spirit of Asia Award is given by the Japan Foundation Asia Center.

The award is bestowed on a promising director in the TIFF Asian Future section, chosen for its chances at international success beyond cultural and national borders.

Accepting the award from the Japan Foundation President Hiroyasu Ando, Huang thanked the jury and TIFF filmgoers in English, Japanese, and Chinese, adding, "I may someday become a part of the 'Asian past,' but for now, thank you for this Asian Future award."

The Best Asian Future Film Award went to "A First Farewell," directed by Lina Wang. The festival's most prestigious award, the Tokyo Grand Prix, was given to Mikhael Hers for "Amanda."

The Japan Foundation Asia Center and TIFF are now in their fifth year of collaboration. The endeavor aims to deepen mutual understanding within Asia by showcasing Asian films in Japan and Japanese films in Asia, and by bringing Asian talent to the world through TIFF.

World Premiere of Asian Omnibus Film Series

The world premiere of "Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2018: Journey," the second in a series of Asian omnibus films, was held on Oct. 26. The co-production project aims to deepen interactions between neighboring countries within Asia, as well as to enrich cultural understanding and explore Asian identities and ways of life.

At the world premiere screening, three young directors, Degena Yun (China), Daishi Matsunaga (Japan), and Edwin (Indonesia), presented their films along with their cast members: popular Indonesian actor Nicholas Saputra, acclaimed Chinese actress Jin Chen, up-and-coming actress Zhe Gong, striking Japanese actor Hiroki Hasegawa, Myanmar actress Nandar Myat Aung, who is making her feature film debut, popular Indonesian actress Agni Pratistha, and her compatriot actor Oka Antara.

CROSSCUT ASIA #05: Soundtrip to Southeast Asia

The Japan Foundation Asia Center's CROSSCUT ASIA series showcases Asian films focused on countries, directors, actors, or themes. This year, "CROSSCUT ASIA #05: Soundtrip to Southeast Asia" showcased films featuring a rich variety of musical genres, reflecting historical and present-day Southeast Asia.

Directors Talk About Their "Soundtrip Cinema" at a symposium on Oct. 26. Garin Nugroho from "Chaotic Love Poems," Nguyen Quang Dung from "Go-Go Sisters," and Treb Monteras II from "Respeto" explained at the symposium that music has always been an integral aspect of filmmaking throughout the region.

The 31st TIFF unspooled from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, 2018. (AsiaNet)

Comments