The 29th Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul, featuring 85 films including 38 premieres, from 31 countries will be screened from February 28 through March 7.
The president of the Jury will be Mr. Lee Yong-kwan, president of the prestigious Busan International Film Festival, the Cannes of Asia.
A tribute will be paid to the Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu, in his presence. The entirety of his work will be presented, from his first film Away From Home, in competition at Vesoul 2002, to his latest opus Hasan’s Promises, Cannes 2021, including Honey, Golden Bear Berlin 2010.
20 films in competition, in French, European, international, or world premiere, will be judged by 7 juries (International, Critic, Netpac, Inalco, Marc Haaz, High School, Youth).
The competitive sections are composed of films from rare cinematographies (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Singapore, Syria, Vietnam), and films from major cinematographies (China, Korea, India, Iran, and Philippines).
A replay of award-winning films will also take place at the Guimet Museum of Asian Arts in Paris on April 21, 22, and 23, 2023, and at the Inalco (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales).
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and the Philippines, “A Look at Philippine Cinema” will be held with the support of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP): Philippine cinema is known internationally by strong personalities like Lino Brocka, Brillante Mendoza or Lav Diaz.
This look at Philippine cinema aims to highlight recently restored works of such veterans as Lamberto Avellana, Mario O’Hara, Ishmael Bernal, Mike de Leon, Kidlat Tahimik, or young talents like Sheron Dayoc, Mikhail Red, and Zig Dulay.
With the help of the Asian Film Archive, the Singapore Film Watch explores this cinematic terra incognita. It will feature musicals, including an amazing remake of Saturday Night Fever, action and karate films, romances, and historical dramas, from the golden age of Singapore cinema when this city was part of the Federation of Malaysia; and films by Eric Khoo, true founding father of contemporary Singaporean cinema, and young directors such as Anthony Chen, Royston Tan, Boo Junfeng, and Ken Kwek.
The thematic section “Asian Diaspora Cinema” offers a vast panorama of works by directors from Asian countries living in exile or integrated for one or more generations in the host country of their ancestors, questioning their identity linked to their dual culture. The forms of expression used range from animated films to dramatic comedies, through genre films: detective, thriller, and comedy.
