We present a list of film festivals that will take place in Asia during November 2019.

Kineko International Children’s Film Festival
Place: Tokyo, Japan
Date: November 1st – 5th, 2019
Website: http://kineko.tokyo

Kineko International Children’s Film Festival was funded in 1992 with its original name “Tokyo Kinder Film Festival” in partnership with the director of Generation section at Berlinale. KICFF is a non-profit film festival and has become the largest film festival for children in Japan. Every summer, the Festival welcomes over 10,000 children, adults to the screenings, and media professionals, international guests and celebrities attend the Festival to lead interactive workshops with children. The festival introduces opportunities for Japanese children to experience cinemas around the world, animations, international cultural exchange programs and one of the most unique features, Live Japanese Voice Over performed by professional actors.

Lutas Negros Oriental Film Festival
Place: Dumaguete, Philippines
Date: November 7th – 8th, 2019
Website: https://www.facebook.com/lutasfilmfestival/

Dharamshala International Film Festival
Place: Dharamsala, India
Date: November 7th – 10th, 2019
Website: https://diff.co.in/

The Dharamshala International Film Festival started in 2012 by filmmakers and Dharamshala residents, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. It is held annually in McLeod Ganj, a town with no cinemas that is best known as the exile home of the Dalai Lama. Focusing on showcasing the best of independent films from India and around the world, the festival has gained a reputation for its eclectic and adventurous programming, its beautiful mountain setting, and its intimate and cinema-literate atmosphere. DIFF attracts the finest indie filmmakers, film critics and film lovers from across the country and from abroad.

From this year’s programme we can recommend “Aise Hee” by Kislay (India), “Bombay Rose” by Gitanjali Rao (India), “Eeb Allay ooo!” by Prateek Vast (India), “For Sama” by Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts (UK), among others.

Cinema One Originals
Place: Metro Manila, Philippines
Date: November 7th – 17th, 2019
Website: https://www.facebook.com/CinemaOneOriginals

The festival’s primary goal is to showcase the diverse talent and voices of Filipino filmmakers. The C1 Originals is produced by Cinema One, a cable television network owned by ABS-CBN.

Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
Place: Taipei, Taiwan
Date: November 7th – 24th, 2019
Website: http://www.goldenhorse.org.tw

The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (TGHFF) is the largest film festival in Taiwan. Starting in 1980 as a non-competitive showcase, TGHFF aims at introducing prominent cinema from around the world, in order to promote cinema as an art form and to enhance intercultural understanding through cinema.

This year’s opening film will be “Synapses” by Chang Tso-chi (Taiwan) and the closing film will be “The Garden of Evening Mists” by Tom Lin Shu-yu (Malaysia). From the Golden Horse Award, we can recommend, “Boluomi” by Lau Kek-huat (Taiwan), “A Sun” by Chung Mong-hong (Taiwan), “Heavy Craving” by Hsieh Pei-ju (Taiwan), “The Tree Remembers” by Lau Kek-huat (Taiwan), “Gold Fish” by Fish Wang (Taiwan), among others.

Kolkata International Film Festival
Place: Kolkata, India
Date: November 8th – 15th, 2019
Website: http://kiff.in

Kolkata International Film Festival aims at creating a platform for better understanding of the films of past and present of the world in an atmosphere of appreciation of the film culture and to move towards excellence of the motion picture art and industry.

Film SouthAsia
Place: Kathmandu, Nepal
Date: November 14th – 17th, 2019
Website: http://www.filmsouthasia.org

Film Southasia (FSA) is a biennial festival held in Kathmandu, Nepal, initiated in 1997 to popularise documentaries that inform, entertain and transform lives. In between festivals, a package of fine and representative films travel the region and overseas as mini-festivals titled Travelling Film Southasia (TFSA).

CineKasimanwa: The Western Visayas Film Festival
Place: Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras and Negros Occidental, Philippines
Date: November 15th – 19th, 2019
Website: https://www.facebook.com/cinekasimanwa

The festival is ran by filmmakers for filmmakers, is currently the largest regional film festival in the Philippines in terms of programmed films, audience attendance, number of venues, number of workshops, number of live film screenings, number of outreach and satellite screenings. CineKasimanwa is also the home of the first ever short film grants program in the Philippines (Western Visayas Film Grants Program) given by a film fest in partnership with the Department of Tourism – Region VI as major stakeholder. The festival aims to be a venue for Western Visayan films, its filmmakers and their stories to be presented to local audiences and the world. The festival also accepts films from around the world. CineKasimanwa want filmmakers and peoples of the world to visit Western Visayas (Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras and Negros Occidental provinces) and shoot films in our islands.

Jogja NETPAC Asian Film Festival
Place: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Date: November 19th – 23th, 2019
Website: https://jaff-filmfest.org

Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival ( JAFF ) is a premier Asian film festival in Indonesia focusing on the development of Asian cinema. This festival not only contributes to introducing Asian cinema to a wider public in Indonesia, but it also provides a space for the intersection of many sectors such as arts, culture, and tourism.

Since its inception, JAFF has worked closely with NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema), a worldwide organization of 30 member countries. Headquartered in Colombo Srilanka, NETPAC is a pan-Asian film and cultural organization involving critics, filmmakers, festival organizes and curators, distributors and exhibitors, as well as educators. It is considered a leading authority in Asian cinema.

This year’s opening film will be “Abracadabra” by Faozan Rizal (Indonesia, Singapore). We recommend, “Verdict” by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez (Philippines), “A First Farewell” by Lina Wang (China), “House of Hummingbird” by Bora Kim (Korea), “Nakorn-Sawan” by Puangsoi Aksornsawang (Thailand), “Ode to Nothing” by Dwein Baltazar (Philippines), among other titles.

International Film Festival of India
Place: New Delhi, India
Date: November 20th – 28th, 2019
Website: https://iffigoa.org

Since 1952, India has hosted 49th International Film Festivals, both competitive and non-competitive. The festival became an annual event from 1975 onwards. The 50th edition of the festival which includes a competition for feature films by directors from All Continents will be held in Goa.

Singapore International Film Festival
Place: Singapore
Date: November 21st – December 1st, 2019
Website: https://sgiff.com

The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is the largest and longest running film event in Singapore. Founded in 1987 by Geoffrey Malone and L. Leland Whitney, the Festival focuses on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for the best of Singapore cinema. Over the decades, it has grown to become an iconic date in the Singapore arts calendar. With its focus on groundbreaking Asian cinema, this prestigious event is known for its dynamic programming and commitment to the development of a vibrant local film culture.

This year programme will feature a lot of good short films we can recommend “No One is Crazy in This Town” by Wregas Bhanuteja (Indonesia), “Sweet, Salty” by Duong Dieu Linh (Vietnam), “Sick” by Zaw Bo Bo Hein (Myanmar), “I’m Not Your F***ing Stereotype” by Hesome Chamamah (Thailand), among others. As for the feature films we recommend “Bombay Rose” by Gitanjali Rao (India), “The Science of Fictions” by Yosep Anggi Noen (Indonesia, Malaysia, France), and “Verdict” by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez (Philippines). The opening film will be “Wet Season” by Anthony Chen (Singapore).

Tokyo FILMex International Film Festival
Place: Tokyo, Japan
Date: November 23rd – December 1st, 2019
Website: https://filmex.jp

The TOKYO FILMeX 2019 presents to the Japanese audience with unique and creative cinema from Asia and around the world. It also supports those undertaking the challenge of new cinema, the festival provides filmmakers and guests with opportunities for constructive exchange with Japanese film industry professionals and the local audience.

This year’s programme looks amazing, we can recommend “Verdict” by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez (Philippines), “Height of the Wave” by Park Jung-Bum (Korea), “Wet Season” by Anthony Chen (Singapore), among others. The opening film will be “The Shadow Play” by Lou Ye (China) and the closing film will be “Coming Home Again” by Wayne Wang (Korea, USA).