The first festival of the new century has had the exhibition of 50 films, equal to the previous year and the largest number in the festival's history, from 15 countries and regions, and the attendance has reached a record high, with more than 20,000, coming to the 11th festival. Looking back the 2001 festival, the whole 11 days of the event was in full of activity, but just before the opening day, terrorism attacked New York and some considerable influence fell upon even the festival. Several guests gave up flying to Fukuoka because the flight system around the U. S. was paralysed. Majid Majidi, the director of "Baran," was staying in Canada when the disaster happened. He could not make it for the opening, and his message was read at the ceremony instead. (He arrived in Fukuoka at last four days later.) "Baran" deals with refugees from Afghanistan, so it offered an opportunity to the audience to think about what was really happening in the world or the peace itself, and people saw it with tears.
Along with "Iranian Film Collection" introducing four new productions from Iran including "Baran," the diversity of the seven films making up of "Chinese Language Film Collection" drew the attention of the audience. Malaysian Director Aziz M. Osman who presented his new two films and the Thai film "Behind the Painting" that carried out its location shooting in Japan, were also much talked about.
Meanwhile, received favourably in Fukuoka, the two entries from Mongolia, "A Vanishing Trade" and "The Shadow," were exhibited at the Film Network Festival 2001 in Tokyo in November to be introduced to Asian cinema fans in Tokyo area.

　Last not but least, Director Marilou Diaz-Abaya, the 12th Fukuoka Asian Arts and Culture Prize laureate in 2001, has closely associated with the festival. Diaz-Abaya who is one of the most prominent directors of the Philippines is proud of having presented six films at Fukuoka, the largest number as a director, and she is one of those who stand out in the world stage as a result of exhibitions of their works at Fukuoka. The magnificent "Jose Rizal" (1998) was commercially released in the Iwanami Hall in Tokyo at the end of 2001.