OSAKA ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2022 LINE-UP ANNOUNCEMENT

Jerald Napoles and Kim Molina

The films chosen for this year’s festival come to a record number of 76 in total, and they include 24 World Premieres, 13 International Premieres, and 29 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 Osaka Asian Film Festivals and are therefore not included in the above number of films and countries.)

Name: OSAKA ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2022 (OAFF 2022)

Presented by: Osaka Executive Committee for the Promotion of Moving Image Culture

Dates: March 10 - March 20

Online (Selected films from previous OAFF programs): March 3 - March 21

Films: Please see the excel sheet “OAFF2022FullLineup” in the press release folder.

【Opening Film】

Yanagawa (漫长的告白)

Directed by ZHANG Lu (张律) /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 1st October 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, "Sino-Japanese War in a Toy Film" (おもちゃ映画で 見た日中戦争) will be screened with a live piano performance, and the documentary "YU-GEKI~side story of "Love's Twisting Path"~" (遊撃 -「多十郎殉愛記」外伝-) will be screened.

【Indie Forum】<Director in Focus: HIGASHI Kahori > 2 films

There will be a focus on up-and-coming director HIGASHI Kahori (東かほり) as we will screen her MOOSIC LAB film “Melting Sounds” (ほとぼりメルトサウンズ), scheduled for nationwide release in 2022, and her latest work “The Residents” (暮らしの残像).

【Director in Focus: YOKOHAMA Satoko】 7 films

YOKOHAMA Satoko (横浜聡子) is one of the most notable filmmakers of our time, having won both the Grand Prix and the Audience Award for her film “Ito” (いとみち) at the 16th Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF 2021). We will screen her works, a mixture of early shorts, TV episodes and features.

【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, we will feature a wide range of works, from a precious digitally remastered version of a Taiwanese classic to works that let you 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”(良辰吉時) 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"(殺出個黃昏) 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 the Osaka Asian Film Festival in the past, we have selected titles 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 (山崎裕) and starring WATANABE Makiko (渡辺真起子) and ANDO Sakura (安藤サクラ), 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 a.m., and the rest will be available from 12:00 p.m..

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.

Details such as viewing method will be announced on the Official Website late-February.