Asian World Film Festival Showcases 14 Foreign-Language Oscar Contenders
One of the goals of the Fourth Annual Asian World Film Festival (October 24 to November 1) is to showcase awards titles at the Arclight Cinemas in Culver City. This year, 14 Oscar and 7 Golden Globes submissions are included in the program.
The festival invites all films chosen by their countries as Oscar or Golden Globe Foreign Film submissions to be part of the selection. One of the festival’s sponsors, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), recognizes selected showings as the required official screenings for their members who vote on the Golden Globes.
The competition, to be judged by a jury led by actress-producer Vivian Wu, includes Oscar titles “Sobibor” (Russia), “Cake” (Pakistan), “Buffalo Boys” (Singapore), “Namme” (Georgia), “Ghost Hunting” (Palestine), “The Signal Rock” (Philippines), “The Journey” (Iraq), “No Date, No Signature” (Iran), “Operation Red Sea” (Hong Kong), “Village Rockstars” (India), and “Panchayat” (Nepal). Out-of-competition titles are Cannes entry “Burning” (South Korea), “No Bed of Roses” (Bangladesh), and “The Great Buddha” (Taiwan).
On the AWFF docket are 2018 Golden Globe submissions “Love Sonia” (India), “The Lord Eagle” (Russia), “Butterflies” (Turkey), “The River” (Kazakhstan), “Night Accident” (Kyrgyzstan), “Million Loves in Me” (Malaysia/Hong Kong) and “The Road Not Taken” (China).
The AWFF brings a broad selection of Asian cinema – over 50 countries from Turkey, Japan and Russia to India and the Middle East – to Los Angeles to showcase the region’s filmmakers and strengthen ties between Asia’s film industry and Hollywood.
Additional films will be announced shortly. Complete list of festival screenings here.
Also on the international Competition jury are Silvia Bizio, Artistic and Co-Director of the Taormina Film Festival (Italy); (“Twilight” Saga star Justin Chon (USA); KTLA anchor Kimberly Cheng (USA); Alex Dong, CEO of Sun Entertainment Culture Ltd., (Hong Kong); producer Eleanora Granata Jenkinson (USA), Sam Lahoud, Founder/Chairman of Beirut Film Society (Lebanon); and “Under Heaven” writer-director Dalmira Tilepbergen (Kyrgyzstan).
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