3rd ASEAN Cinema Week – Programme 2023

By Asian Film Festival on March 11, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

We present the programme for the ASEAN Cinema Week (Korea), which will take place from March 23 – 26 in Seoul, from March 30 to April 2 in Busan, and from April 7 -8 in Jeonju.

About:
The ASEAN Cinema Week introduces the diverse charms and growth momentum of the ASEAN film industry by featuring twelve different films from ASEAN. This festival will be a special opportunity for audiences to become more familiar with ASEAN through critically acclaimed films, which, in turn, will strengthen mutual ties between the two regions through cultural exchange.

Opening Film

**Miracle in Cell No. 7** by Hanung Bramantyo – Indonesia | 2022 – 145 minutes

Dodo Rozak wants to be a good father to his daughter, Kartika. Despite his limited intelligence, he acts and behaves like children. It is Kartika who takes care of her father most of the time. Both live happily. Kartika is proud of her father, who sells balloons every day. However, their happiness does not last long. Dodo is arrested on charges of raping and killing a little girl. Dodo is imprisoned in cell No.7, which violent inmates inhabit. After various events, Dodo gets help to smuggle Kartika into his cell. Dodo and Kartika’s closeness spreads happiness to inmates and guards in prison. They begin to doubt whether a loving man like Dodo could kill a little girl. (ASEANCW2023)

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Films

**AJOOMA** by HE Shuming – Singapore | 2022 – 90 minutes

A widow obsessed with Korean soap operas travels abroad for the first time in her life to Seoul and finds more than she had bargained for. (ASEANCW2023)

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**Barbarian Invasion** by Tan Chui Mui – Malaysia | 2021 – 106 minutes

Moon Lee, a celebrated award-winning actress, has become a full-time mom and divorcée since retiring. Desperate to regain her sense of self, she jumps at the chance to work with her long-time collaborator, director Roger Woo, again. Only this time, he casts her as the lead in a do-your-own stunts martial arts film. The role requires extensive training and though Moon is at first uncertain, she leaves her young son in the care of Roger’s assistant and commits herself to back-breaking training. As soon as she starts to gain some confidence, Roger breaks the news to her: the only way the film can move ahead is to cast her ex-husband, Julliard, as the male lead. (ASEANCW2023)

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**Chanthaly** by Mattie Do – Laos | 2012 – 98 minutes

A sickly young woman experiences visions of her dead mother. She struggles to determine if the apparition is simply a side effect of her daily medication, or her mother actually reaching out to her from beyond the grave. (ASEANCW2023)

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**Funan** by Denis Do – Cambodia | 2018 – 84 minutes

Cambodia, once the ancient kingdom of Funan, April 17th, 1975. The entire country falls under the tyranny of Angkar, the communist party of the Khmer Rouge. The cities are abandoned, the population is thrown to the roads and forced to walk towards an uncertain future. (ASEANCW2023)

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**Gensan Punch** by Brillante Mendoza – Philippines | 2021 – 110 minutes

From the award-winning Cannes/Venice/Toronto-elected director Brillante Mendoza, “GENSAN PUNCH” is inspired by the true story of a Japanese man with a prosthetic leg, who travelled to the Philippines to train to become a professional boxer. (ASEANCW2023)

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**Girl From Nowhere** – Thailand | 2018 – 84 minutes

A mysterious, clever girl named Nanno transfers to different schools, exposing the lies and misdeeds of the students and faculty at every turn. (ASEANCW2023)

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**Maika: The Girl From Another Galaxy** by Ham Tran – Vietnam | 2022 – 105 minutes

After a meteor falls to earth, 8-year-old Hung meets an alien girl from the planet Maika, searching for her lost friend. The alien helps Hung make new friends and heal a broken heart. But danger lurks everywhere. (ASEANCW2023)

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**OMG! Oh My Girl** by Thitipong Kerdtongtawee – Thailand | 2022 – 124 minutes

A chaotic love story of a man and a girl who keep falling for each other in the wrong place at the wrong time over and over as if God enjoys playing tricks on them and won’t easily give them a break to be together. (ASEANCW2023)

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**Satan’s Slaves** by Joko Anwar – Indonesia | 2017 – 107 minutes

The family of Rini is financially broken and she lives with her father, her mother that is ill, her grandmother that is crippled, and her brothers Tony, Bondi and the mute six year-old Ian in an old house in the countryside nearby a cemetery. Her mother, who was a successful singer, is dying from a mysterious disease and her father does not have money to support the family. When her mother dies, her father needs to travel to the city to sell the house and weird things happen in the house. The skeptical Rini befriends Hendra, son of the religious Ustadz, and they learn that her mother was infertile and joined a cult that worships Satan to have children. And now, when Ian will be seven, they will take the boy with them. What can they do to protect Ian? (ASEANCW2023)

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**Satan’s Slaves: Communion** by Joko Anwar – Indonesia | 2022 – 120 minutes

Several years after they managed to save themselves from a terrible incident that made them lose their mother and the youngest Ian, Rini and her younger siblings, Toni and Bondi, and their Father live in flats. They believe living in flats is safe if something happens because there are many people. However, they soon realize that living with many people might also be dangerous if they do not know their neighbors. On a night full of terror, Rini and her family must return to save themselves. But this time, it might be too late to run. (ASEANCW2023)

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**What’s So Special About Rina** by Harlif Haji Mohamad, Farid Azlan Ghani – Brunei | 2013 – 90 minutes

Hakim is 30 years old, a handsome man with a high paying job is still looking for his one truelove . His housemate, Faisal introduces to him a theory for searching for a perfect significant other. According to it, the perfect person goes by the name Rina. Ironically, Rina is a new marketing manager, beautiful, smart woman whose exceptional beauty has won the hearts of her colleagues, including Hakim. Hakim and Rina get closer to each other day. Hakim’s mother and friend start pushing him to marry Rina. Looking at Rina’s respond to him, he finally decides to propose to Rina. Will she say yes? (ASEANCW2023)

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