With all that in mind, you'd be forgiven for expecting a marginal line-up this year. You'd be spectacularly wrong though, because the 2015 programme is nothing short of fantastic, being comprised of many high-profile and award-winning titles. It's an eclectic mix from all over Asia, and definitely worth checking out.
The festival starts this Wednesday the first of April in Amsterdam, and continues until the sixth, after which it starts travelling around several other cities in the Netherlands with a reduced line-up.
Below is a short list of recommendations. Do peruse the full programme at the CinemAsia website, and please let us know in the comments what we should not miss!
The Last Wolf
Opening the festival this year is Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Last Wolf (aka. Wolf Totem, about a young man, sent by the Chinese communist party to the nomadic tribes of inner (Chinese) Mongolia, to teach them the virtues of communism. Of course, while he lives among them he picks up a few things from them as well.
Jean-Jacques Annaud (who will be present at the festival's opening) is famous for films as Quest For Fire, The name of the Rose, The Lover, and Enemy at the Gates. His newest is an adaptation of Rong Jiang's popular novel, and true to Annaud's form, the rumor is that it is a visually stunning film.
Producer Oh Jung-wan retrospective
A special guest of the festival this year is South Korean producer Oh Jung-wan, who with her production company Bom Film Productions was one of the pioneers of the Korean Wave, and a major factor in making stars out of directors Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook and Kim Jee-woon.
Three classic films produced by her will be screened, and she will provide introductions or Q&As for each of them:
A Bittersweet Life, pictured above (2005, Dir: Kim Jee-woon)
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003, Dir: Kim Jee-woon)
Untold Scandal (2003, Dir: EJ Yong)
The Taking of Tiger Mountain 3D
When I made my Most-memorable-things-of-2014 list, one of the things appearing on it was the Imagine screening of Tsui Hark's Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon in 3D. The director made crazy, manic yet skillful use of 3D technology, so I can't wait to see what he did in his action romp The Taking of Tiger Mountain. CinemAsia has a 3D screening and I will be soooooo there...
Dearest
One of the most devastating films this year, Peter Chan's Dearest deals with kidnapping, and the terrible emotional cost it inflicts on all parties. A divorced couple has their young son abducted, and start a years-long search for him, revealing just how awful an issue this is.
The film has been internationally lauded for its even-handed approach of both parents and kidnappers, and it has picked up multiple awards already at several festivals.
Garuda Power: The Spirits Within
Do we want to see a documentary about Indonesian action cinema from the 1920s till The Raid 2: Berandal? Oh HELL yes!!
Made by French director Bastian Meiresonne, Garuda Power has won several awards already, and is filled to the brim with clips (good and bad) from action classics of Indonesia, and some even from the Dutch-funded Chinese-influenced productions from the time it was still called Dutch India.
When Marnie Was There
With no new features on their slate, When Marnie Was There may become known in history as the last film made by the legendary Studio Ghibli. And while this entry is not exactly their most exciting film, the incredible craftsmanship on display, sedate pacing and sheer beauty make this a very worthwhile watch.
In his review, Christopher O'Keeffe called it "a touching story that is beautifully told."
A Hard Day
In Kim Seong-hun's Korean thriller A Hard Day, a corrupt police detective feels the net close around him on the very day of his mother's funeral. To add insult to injury, he accidentally kills a man and needs to hide the body. His mother's casket seems a safe enough place for that, but then things TRULY get pear-shaped...
Shorts Selection
This year CinemAsia has a collection of four short films, fitting snuggly together in a single-feature time slot. These are the films:
Fan Fan, pictured above (Taiwan, Dir: Chia-hsin Liu)
Hosanna (South Korea, Dir: Na Young-kil)
Maryam (Indonesia, Dir: Sidi Saleh)
YúYú (France/Spain/USA, Dir: Marc Johnson)
You can find more information about each of these on CinemAsia's website.
Pale Moon
Director Yoshida Daihachi's drama Pale Moon is a scathing look at Japanese society. In it, a married bank teller blooms when she starts embezzling money and takes a secret lover, but soon things start getting out of control.
Jalanan
Daniel Ziv's award-winning documentary Jalanan shows a few days in the lives of Ho, Boni, and Titi, street musicians in Indonesia trying to eek out a living by playing songs.
The Coffin in the Mountain
In Xin Yukun's very black comedy, an accidental killing wreaks havoc on the lives of many people in a small village. Multiple storylines weave through each other throughout the film, and the village's mayor tries to sort the whole thing out, discovering everyone's dirty laundry in the process.
Chasuke’s Journey
Closing off the festival this year, is Sabu's afterlife drama Chasuke’s Journey. Based on his own novel, Sabu tells a tale of celestial beings who orchestrate our lives, and what happens when one of their servants wants to intervene to save a girl.
Check the trailer here, or watch this trio of clips from it!