These are fifteen films you should not miss at the 22nd Udine Far East Film Festival which will take place online via Mymovies.it from June 26th until July 4th, 2020. *Since some films have country restrictions, this post was made for people living outside Italy*

About the festival:
Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic the organizers of the Udine Far East Film Festival decided to go Online. This year the catalogue will feature 46 films, 5 world premiere and 10 international premieres. People from all over the world will be able to watch the films via MyMovies.it. Please note that some films will be limited to European territories or to Italy only.

The virtual passes, which have been designed specifically for use online, will be available in three versions which fondly evoke Asian imagery: Silver Ninja (€ 9,90) for the curious, Golden Samurai (€ 49) for the fans, and Platinum Shogun (€ 100) for the hardcore Fareasters. You can learn more about the passes here: PASSES

We recommend:

#HandballStrive by Matsui Daigo – Japan | 2020 – 109 minutes

Masao Kiyota is a high school student living in Japan’s southern Kumamoto Prefecture. Lacking passion for anything in life, he spends his days like so many youth on his smartphone along with his childhood friend, Okamoto. One day, they upload a photo taken three years previously when they were both part of their school’s handball team. To their surprise, the post goes a little viral. Encouraged, they add the hashtag: “#Handball Full Power” and are swarmed with “likes” from around the country. Amidst the sudden social media attention, Masao and Okamoto set to resuscitating a nearly defunct men’s handball team. (ColorBird Inc.)

Schedule: July 4th, 2020 – 5:30 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

A Beloved Wife by Adachi Shin – Japan | 2020 – 118 minutes

Gota (Gaku Hamada) is an unpopular scriptwriter. He has been married to Chika (Asami Mizukawa) for 10 years and they have a daughter Aki (Chise Niitsu). Their marriage life is not very good. Gota tries to make his relationship with Chika better, but Chika looks down on him for not being able to earn money. One day, Gota has a chance to travel to Kagawa Prefecture to write a screenplay. He persuades Chika and Aki to go with him to Kagawa Prefecture, but he faces an unexpected case. (AsianWiki)

Schedule: June 29th, 2020 – 5:30 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

Chasing Dream by Johnnie To – Hong Kong | 2019 – 119 minutes

A young man and woman are meeting each other and establishes a special relationship due to debt problems. Him, finds that her have a singing talent and help her develop a singing career. For its part, he also strives to become the champion of the boxing championship. Both have the same state of mind and fight for their dream. Even if they burn their lives, they will have no regrets in this life. (IMDb)

Schedule: June 27th, 2020 – 5:30 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

Cheerful Wind by Hou Hsiao-hsien – Taiwan | 1982 – 92 minutes

A photographer travels with her boyfriend to a seaside village in Penghu. There she strikes up a relationship with a blind man. When they reencounter one another back in Taipei, where he is preparing to undergo an operation to restore his sight, their connection intensifies. (Mubi)

Schedule: July 4th, 2020 – 1:30 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

Crazy Romance by Kim Han-kyul – South Korea | 2019 – 110 minutes

A love story between Jae Hoon, who couldn’t let go of his ex-girlfriend, and Sun Young, who is splitting up with her boyfriend. The couple got trouble and were hurt by love. (IMDb)

Schedule: June 29th, 2020 – 11:00 pm

Trailer:

Cry by Watanabe Hirobumi – Japan | 2019 – 77 minutes

The latest unique human drama from Hirobumi and Yuji Watanabe portrays, in black and white and without words, a man who lives with his aging grandmother and works silently in a pigpen. (TIFF 2019)

Schedule: June 30th, 2020 – 3 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

Edward by Thop Nazareno – Philippines | 2019 – 83 minutes

A public hospital serves as a witness to a young boy’s rite of passage when he is stuck to take care of his ailing father. Caught in a place where life itself is in limbo, the boy treats the hospital as his playground, not knowing that it will be his source of liberation in the end, especially when he has to juggle the idea of puppy love versus the idea of familial love. Edward, Thop Nazareno’s sophomore coming of age feature, is a testament to a teenager finding self-actualization in the reality of a Philippine public hospital setting. (Thop Nazareno)

Schedule: July 1st, 2020 – 6:00 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

I’m really good by Watanabe Hirobumi – Japan | 2020 – 62 minutes

A normal day for little Riko at home and at school. A vivid snapshot pervaded by the calm flow of reality that creates an authentic sense of wonder. (Far East Film Festival)

Schedule: June 29th, 2020 – 3:00 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

Life Finds a Way by Watanabe Hirobumi – Japan | 2018 – 127 minutes

Born out of every artist’s creative crisis, the search for the next topic, Hirobumi WATANABE presents his latest film, dealing with the question of what his film should be about. The director stages himself as he idles away his days, delivering endless monologs during car rides, sleeping on the floor at his grandma’s house, or philosophizing over video games and the FIFA World Cup. (Nippon Connection 2019)

Schedule: July 2nd, 2020 – 3:00 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

Minori, on the Brink by Ninomiya Ryutaro – Japan | 2019 – 130 minutes

Born out of every artist’s creative crisis, the search for the next topic, Hirobumi WATANABE presents his latest film, dealing with the question of what his film should be about. The director stages himself as he idles away his days, delivering endless monologs during car rides, sleeping on the floor at his grandma’s house, or philosophizing over video games and the FIFA World Cup. (Nippon Connection 2019)

Schedule: July 4th, 2020 – 11:00 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

My Sweet Grappa Remedies by Ohku Akiko – Japan | 2020 – 108 minutes

Childless office worker Yoshiko is in her forties and confidently navigates her way through life, accompanied by little drinks and basically without friends. Every day, she shares her feelings and observations on life with her diary. These entries, recited by her voice, accompany the film and its poetic scenes of her day-to-day life, as a gentle and carefully woven story of new love unfolds around her. Through Akiko OKU’s masterful staging and Yasuko MATSUYUKI’s subtle acting, the simple things become remarkable and a few moments soon outline the depth of a whole life. (Nippon Connection 2019)

Schedule: July 30th, 2020 – 5:30 pm (Italy time)

Trialer:

Party’Round The Globe by Watanabe Hirobumi – Japan | 2018 – 117 mintes

The Watanabe’s bizarre oeuvre takes on new colors. Talkative Hirayama invites taciturn friend Honda to his grandmother’s 100th birthday party. (Far East Film Festival)

Schedule: July 3rd, 2020 – 3:00 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

Sunod by Carlo Ledesma – Philippines | 2019 – 106 minutes

It centers on a woman who’s desperate to find the cure to her daughter’s illness. She takes a job at a call center, only to be haunted by the ghost in it. (Letterboxd)

Schedule: June 30th, 2020 – 11:00 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

The Captain by Andrew Lau – China | 2019 – 111 minutes

When the windshield of his commercial airplane shatters at 30,000 feet in the air, a pilot and his flight crew work to ensure the safety of the passengers and land the plane.

Schedule: June 28th, 2020 – 11:00 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

Victim(s) by Layla Zhuqing Ji – Malaysia | 2020 – 107 minutes

When both the victim’s mother and the murderer’s mother find out about the unknown sides of their sons, they have some tough decisions to make in this “We Media Era.” What we see may be the facts, but not necessarily the truth. (IMDb)

Schedule: June 29th, 2020 – 13:00 pm (Italy time)

Trailer:

For more information about the festival and the programme please go to the official website: HERE