After the announcement of the nine projects selected for the All Genres Project Market, FOCUS ASIA 2020 unveils the full programme, in particular that of the new Far East in Progress section!
For the first time, the Far East Film Festivalmarket will be presenting a work-in-progress section dedicated exclusively to Asian films which are nearing completion and are in search of international distribution and premieres at the principal festivals scheduled for the second half of the year. Far East in Progress– the new section's name - will screen exclusive previews of scenes from selected films to the over 60 sales agents, festival programmers and buyers who have confirmed their presence at the event. From the 33 submissions received from 13 Asian countries, the selection committee led by Marie-Pierre Vallé (Wild Bunch) has selected 6 feature films and 1 short film. The selected works include several titles produced by professionals who have in the past taken part in the project market or Ties That Bind workshop, proof of a long-term commitment and scouting of projects and filmmakers that generates a virtuous cycle between the festival's various industry sections.
But this fruitful collaboration with the main workshop dedicated to co-production between Asia and Europe isn't only visible in the sections of the various selected projects. In fact, even though it won't be possible for Ties That Bind to organize the initial session of the program in Udine this year, it will still be playing a fundamental role in all the webinars and industry round tables. And if on the one hand we will be trying to understand what challenges professionals from both continents will be facing in the near future with panels featuring festival directors and international award-winning producers, the direct involvement as speakers of the participants selected in previous editions of Ties That Bind will allow to make a careful analysis of concrete opportunities for co-production, financing and distribution in their respective territories.
Finally, more opportunities for the export and circulation of European films in Asia and Asian films in Europe will also be in the offing thanks to the new edition of Get Ready for the Future, which for the third consecutive year will be offering as many as 19 international sales agents the opportunity to show short sequences from films scheduled for upcoming release to over 30 buyers from all over the world.
With over 200 registered professionals and 45 countries represented, FOCUS ASIA 2020, even in its new completely virtual guise, confirms its standing as the main European industry event dedicated to those professionals interested in discovering the Asian universe and initiating new collaborations between the two continents.
Let's not forget that FOCUS ASIA is organized by the Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche/Far East Film Festival of Udine with the collaboration of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund and the General Directorate for Cinema - MiBACT.
Far East in Progress 2020 – The 7 projects selected:
Fan Girl, directed by Antoinette Jadaone and produced by Bianca Balbuena and Dan Villegas (Philippines)
Green Grass, directed by Ignacio Ruiz and produced by Masumi Soga and Yeniffer Fasciani (Japan, Chile)
Karmalink, directed by Jake Wachtel and produced by Valerie Steinberg and Visal Sok (Cambodia, United States)
Money Has Four Legs, directed by Maung Sun and produced by Ma Aeint (Myanmar)
We Are Living Things, directed by Antonio Tibaldi and produced by Fan He, Andrew K. Li, Antonio Tibaldi, Stefano Mutolo and Haider Rashid (China, United States, Italy)
WU HAI, directed by Ziyang Zhou and produced by WANG Luna, QIAN Yini and Li Zhu (China)
Shelter (short film), directed by Chung Yee Kwok and produced by Man Hin Ho (Hong Kong)