With richer programmes of sponsored and jointly presented events, and even bigger number of screening films (60 films in total from 15 countries and regions) than last year, audience attendance has reached the record high, more than 22,000. We must make special mention, first of all, that Director Setsuo Nakayama has come back to Fukuoka with his latest film, Tomorrow -Farda- which has become the very first co-production between Iran and Japan. It all started when Director Nakayama met film people from Iran at the 1998 festival. "Coming home" of the Fukuoka-born picture gave people a lot to talk about.

　Tomorrow -Farda- was shown in The World of Islam through the Medium of Film section with other six titles including New Moon, a story of religious war in the Mindanao Island. Along with the symposium held in the same title, this section drew the wide attention. Also, Uzbekistan (Orator) in this section, as well as Singapore (Chicken Rice War) and Kyrgyz (The Chimp) in the Asian Panorama section, marked the first entry to the festival.
Karena Lam, Hong Kong's up-and-coming actress from July Rhapsody, experienced her popularity in Fukuoka. The three entries from Korea, Last Present, Chihwaseon, and The Way Home were also audience's favourites. These four films drew the largest audience. Nishitetsu Hall which is directly connected to the train station in the city centre, joined our screening theatres, thus the access to the venues has become easier for audience.
The Sri Lanka Cinema in Focus section exhibited six Singhalese films. Just after Fukuoka, these were introduced to Asian cinema fans in Tokyo in the Sri Lankan Film Festival in Tokyo 2002 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Sri Lanka and Japan.

　Other events such as a programme in connection with the creation of the Fukuoka Film Commission, and a selection of Zhang Yimou celebrating his receiving the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize, were also held.