This year's festival sees a special focus on Hong Kong, Taiwan, and new action films of Southeast Asia. While new works from established veterans like Tsukamoto Shinya and Johnnie To stand out on the bill, there's a fine selection of interesting offerings from emerging talents from across the region.
With the festival kicking off on Thursday, check out the gallery below for a rundown of some of the most anticipated features from the event.
Asleep - Director: WAKAGI Shingo, Japan, World Premiere
The opening film comes From Hoshikageno Waltz and Totemu: Song for Peace director Wakagi Shingo and is based on a 1989 novel by cult writer Banana Yoshimoto. While the original book is a collection of three short stories, the film chooses the final one to adapt for the screen.
Terako spends her days contemplating the recent suicide of best friend Shiori while getting into a relationship with a boyfriend whose wife is in an irreversible coma. Falling into deeper and deeper sleeps, Terako deals with death, anxiety and loneliness as the line between the waking and dream world becomes increasingly blurred.
The film stars Ando Sakura, fresh off an impressive, physical performance in 100 Yen Love along with Kore’eda regular Iura Arata.
Fires On The Plain - TSUKAMOTO Shinya, Japan
Tsukamoto Shinya’s harrowing account of one soldier’s nightmarish fight for survival behind enemy lines at the back-end of the Second World War has already played at several international festivals, including Japan’s own Tokyo FilmEx, but is well worth another look. Based on a novel by Ooka Shohei and drawn from his own wartime experiences, the film stars the legendary Tetsuo, the Iron Man director himself as the private who falls into near madness in the face of the horrific reality he finds himself in.
Read Pierce Conran’s review here.
Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 - Johnnie TO, Hong Kong, Japan Premiere
Johnnie To follows up his 2011 romance Don't Go Breaking My Heart with this comedy sequel that brings the cast of the original back together while throwing new elements into the mix. Shen Ran (Louis Koo) and Zixin (Gao Yuayuan) are the former lovers who find themselves drawn back together despite having moved on to new lovers and lives. While the director’s stab at a screwball comedy isn’t as exciting as a return to the world of cops and criminals the director made his name with on the likes of Breaking News, Election and Drug War, To is always one to watch.
Read Patryk Czekay's review here.
Violator - Dodo DAYAO, Philippines, International Premiere
Violator offers an exciting slice of genre action as Manila is hit by the worst typhoon in the country’s history, bringing with it demonic activity. Amidst the chaos, five men are stuck inside a police station with a prisoner who could well be the devil.
Full Strike - Derek KWOK, Hong Kong, World Premiere
Journey to the West director Derek Kwok’s latest is a sports comedy mixing the unlikely world of competitive badminton and gangsters. A former champ is barred from the badminton scene due to a violent incident, but after a few years living the quiet life she’s drawn back into the scene to train four ex-gangsters for an up-coming tournament. Josie Ho and Erik Cheng star.
Sashimi - PAN Chih Yuan, Taiwan, World Premiere
Appearing in the Competition and the Taiwan: Movies on the Move categories, Sashimi involves a popular porn actress, Natsumi, discovering she is HIV positive after the suicide of a male co-star who was similarly afflicted. After receiving mysterious postcards from Taiwan, the actress decides to make the journey to discover their origin. This is the follow-up feature from Golden Horse-nominated The Touch of Fate director Pan Chih Yuan.
Heartbreak Hotel - KIM Tae-sik, Korea, World Premiere
Shot entirely in the U.S., this Korean road movie sees a man (Kang Ji-hwan) travel across the country while recalling past memories of his lover (Yoon Jin-seo). From Tokyo Taxi and Red Vacance Black Wedding director Kim Tai-sik, the film promises to mix gangsters, guns and other noir elements in what is ostensibly a romantic drama.
Ode To My Father - YUN Je-gyun, Korea, Japan Premiere
Korean closing film Ode To My Father spans generations in its telling of the story of a man’s life from the 1950s to the present day, encompassing major historical events that befell the country in the intervening years. Encountering war and other hardships, all shown in epic, big-scale action, Hwang Jung-min stars as an ordinary Busan man forced to show extraordinary courage and resilience to protect his family in the face of history’s trials and tribulations. Youn Je-kyun directs for the first time since his 2009 hit Tidal Wave (Haeundae).
Read Pierce Conran's review here.