OVERALL ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2011
1. Including co-sponsored programs, the Festival showed 197 motion pictures from 15 nations and regions of Asia. This compares with 177 motion pictures from 18 nations and regions of Asia shown during the Festival held in 2010.
2. The Festival invited 30 filmmakers from 11 nations and regions compared with 38 filmmakers being invited from 15 nations and regions for the 2010 Festival.
3. Total attendance including co-sponsored programs was 24, 266, setting a new record for the Festival, up from 20,321 in 2010.
EVENTS ORGANIZED BY THE FESTIVAL
Events organized by the Festival in this report are divided into those held prior to the actual holding of the Festival (“Pre-Festival Events”) and those held during the Festival (“Festival Events”).
PRE-FESTIVAL EVENTS:
1.“Demae Eigasai—A Film Festival Comes to Your Neighborhood ”
The first of the three-part event was held on June 9 at the Jonan Civic Center. The event, which showed the Sri Lankan film, “Flowers of the Sky ” (2008) drew a crowd of 331. The second was held at the Minami Civic Center on June 16. The event, which showed the Thai film, “The Happiness of Kati” (2009) drew a crowd of 155. The third was held at the Fukuoka City Gender Equality Promotion Center AMIKAS on June 25. The event, which showed the Turkish film, “Bliss” (2006) drew a crowd of 479. All three parts to the event, which showed films previously exhibited at the film festival, were extremely well received allowing the audience to “relive a festival atmosphere” in their neighborhood.
2.Special Screening of the 2010 Fukuoka Audience Award Winning Film
On September 4, “True Noon”, which won the 2010 Fukuoka Audience Award was screened at the Fukuoka City Public Library Movie Hall Ciné-là drawing a crowd of 140.
FESTIVAL EVENTS:
1. Opening Ceremony & Special Screening
Acclaimed guests to the Film Festival including film directors, filmmakers, actors and actresses, made their appearance on the red carpet at the Opening Ceremony held at T-Joy Hakata on September 16th. The Opening Film was “Nader and Simin, A Separation” from Iran, recipient of the 2011 Berlinale Golden Bear Award. 1,563 requests for admission to our opening event were received for a seating capacity of 350. The Opening Film ultimately won the Fukuoka Audience Award, drawing the highest attendance for a film during our Festival.
2. A Two-Part “Asian Cinema Culture Forum ”
A two-part “Asian Cinema Culture Forum ” was held on September 16th at the JR Hakata City Conference Room.
Part One entitled “The Japanese Active in Asian Films” was moderated by Yasuhiro Hariki, Director of the Festival and invited actress Cynthia Luster (AKA Yukari Oshima) as well as Kousuke Ono, Executive Producer and Kiki Sugino, Producer and starring actress to the film, “Hospitalité” as guest speakers.
Part One of the Forum attracted a full house, who listened with great interest to the guest speakers, which included Cynthia Luster (Yukari Oshima), a Japanese actress active in action films of Hong Kong and the Philippines, now residing in Fukuoka.
Part Two entitled “The Potential For an Asian Sense of Horror and Comedy” was moderated by Junichi Fukao of the Graduate School of Film Producing with Kaori Shinozaki from the University of Kitakyushu explaining the gist and objective of the Forum. Panelists included Koji Fukada, Director of “Hospitalité ”, Ho Wi Ding, Director of “Pinoy Sunday ” and Hiroyuki Yamamoto of Kyoto University, who together presented an interesting discussion of profound nature.
3.“Talk in KSU Art ”-A Workshop Outside the Festival
In collaboration with Kyushu Sangyo University, a lecture meeting was held on September 19th at Kyushu Sangyo University chaired by Professor Toshiya Kuroiwa where Xiao Ya Chuan, film director to “Taipei Exchanges ” and a guest to the Festival, delivered a special lecture. The event drew an enthusiastic crowd of 40.
4. Symposium: “Asian Sense of Comedy ”
The Festival Symposium entitled “Asian Sense of Comedy” was held on September 20th before a crowd of 40 at the JR Hakata City Conference Room. Moderated by Festival Director Yasuhiro Hariki, the Symposium invited Sooni Taraporevala, director of “Little Zizou” from India, Alex Chung, producer of “Winter Vacation” from China and film critic Kyoichiro Murayama from Japan as panelists. A broad discussion on comedy films was presented from an Indian, Chinese and Japanese perspective.
5. Fukuoka Audience Award Presentation Ceremony and Special Screening
The Fukuoka Audience Award presentation ceremony was held on September 21st at JR Kyushu Hall before an audience of 513. The award went to the Iranian film “Nader and Simin, A Separation”. After the ceremony there was a Special Screening of the Thai film, “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives”, recipient of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palmed’Or, directed by Apichapon Weerasetakul.
6.Voice-Over Screening
To provide young children who have difficulty following subtitles with an opportunity to appreciate Asian films, the Malaysian motion picture “Dancing Bells” was exhibited as a “voice-over screening”, on September 25th at the T-Joy Hakata Theater 9, which drew an audience of 77.
7. Special Screening with Supplementary Sound and Subtitles for the Handicapped
To provide opportunities to those with visual and hearing impairment, a special day of screenings was held on September 14th at JR Kyushu Hall. Organized by the Fukuoka City Volunteer Network and Cinema Alci, the Taiwanese film, “Taipei Exchanges” and the Japanese film “Shin-san, Tankomachi no Serenade ”(“Forget Me Not”) were exhibited before an audience of 436.
8. Films Supported by the Fukuoka Film Commission
As a special program of films supported by the Fukuoka Film Commission, “I Wish”, “Ramen Samurai” and “Shin-san, Tankomachi no Serenade ” (“Forget Me Not ”) were exhibited at T-Joy Hakata from September 22nd through September 24th.
9. “Focus-on-Asia Visual Image Contest”
The “Focus-on-Asia Visual Image Contest ” was a competition held to select visual images to be used for flyers and other pubic relations material for the Festival. Images in competition were chosen from works submitted by students of Kyushu Designer Gakuin and Kyushu Visual Arts. Award winners were announced at a special ceremony held on July 12th at T-Joy Hakata Theater 9 to coincide with the Festival Press Conference.
10. Tie-Up Discount Tickets
A variety of discount tickets were offered through tie-up campaigns by the following organizations:
JR (Japan Railway) Kyushu, JR Kyushu Travel, JR Hakata City Restaurant Zone “Kuten”, Across Kyushu Highway Bus Network, “Chikushi-Kai (an association of hotels in the Hakata station vicinity), Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes and the magazine “Ufufu”.
Separate from tie-up campaigns, the Festival offered discounts to those who came to watch films at the Festival dressed in Asian ethnic costumes. The “Asian Ethnic Costume Discount” was well received.
11. Co-Sponsored Programs
The Festival presented 7 co-sponsored programs including “Asia Focus Archives”, a collection our films exhibited at the Festival in the past.
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