It has just been announced that Indonesian filmmaker Edwin will receive the Edward Yang New Talent Award at the 6th Asian Film Awards, to take place in Hong Kong on 19th February. The director's latest film will have its World Premiere in the coming days as it debuts in competition at this year's Berlinale. The film will then play as part of the 36th Hong Kong International Film Festival, where it will compete for the Firebird Awards for Young Cinema.
The 33-year-old director is only the third recipient of the Edwin Yang New Talent Award since it was first introduced in 2008. The award was named in commemoration of the acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker who passed away in 2007 and has to-date been awarded to Japanese director Ishii Yuya (SAWAKO DECIDES) in 2008 and Wei Te Sheng (WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW: SEEDIQ BALE) in 2010.
Edwin's short film KARA, ANAK SEBATANG POHON (2005) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, while his follow-up TRIP TO THE WOUND (2007) was first screened at Berlin. His debut feature, BLIND PIG WHO DESERVES TO FLY (2008) was an intricately conceived mosaic of stories depicting racial tensions in urban Indonesia and proved a notable success on the festival circuit. Edwin's new film, POSTCARDS FROM THE ZOO is about a young masseuse who tells stories to her customers about the animals around which she grew up within the confines of Jakarta Zoo.
From the press release:
"The aim of the Award is, of course, to encourage emerging talents from the region," said Mr. Roger GARCIA, Executive Director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society. "We are very happy to find in Edwin a most deserving recipient of the Award. His approach to cinema and eternal human issues is at once lyrical, dreamlike, magical, and I'm almost tempted to say mythical. I venture that we are witnessing an auteur in the making, hopefully the evolution of a world class filmmaker."