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| HELD : |
9th – 18th September, 1994 |
| VENUES : |
Solaria Cinema 1, New Taiyo
2, Meiji Seimei Hall |
| EXHIBITION OF: |
36 films from 13 nations and
regions |
| ATTENDANCE : |
Focus on Asia ’94 – FIFF 14,084
Sponsored Events 2,940
TOTAL 17,024 |
| OPENING FILM : |
Muen and Rid(1994/Thailand) |
Beginning with the opening film Muen and Rid, starring Jintara
Sukhapat, a popular actress from Thailand who played the non-fictional
role of a woman who fought for women’s right in her country,
36 films were exhibited at our festival, including motion pictures
shown under the categories of sponsored events and special programs.
The festival put on a feature of Sri Lankan Films in 1994. Seven
Sri Lankan motion pictures, both new and old, were shown including
The Line of Destiny, a film considered to have changed the history
of Sinhalese films. Ten film industry related guests from Sri
Lanka were invited to Fukuoka including Lester J. Peries, director
of The Line of Destiny. A forum was held under the theme of
“Sri Lankan Cinema and Culture”, which introduced the culture
of Sri Lanka including its literature and films.
Mercedes, Mon Amour from Turkey, a bittersweet comedy, enjoyed
a favorable reception. The story of one’s hometown depicted
through the eyes of a Turkish migrant in Germany, explored a
different aspect of Turkey than that of Yilmaz Guney, another
Turkish film director. Two feature films, one from Laos and
the other from Myanmar, recalled the eve of national liberation,
and depicted respectfully in a warm manner, the relationship
between a father and his children. Films from these countries
are rarely introduced in Japan.
Every year, Chinese language films attract large crowds. Drawn
to the charm of Anita Yuen, audiences waited in long lines to
see C’est la Vie, Mon Che‰ri. Looking confident after seeing
the audience reaction in Fukuoka, the film director and starring
actress, Anita Yuen, left for Tokyo a day later to promote the
motion picture. In addition to new films in the likes of Eat
Drink Man Woman by Lee Ang and Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker
from China, new wave pictures such as Tsui Hark’s Shanghai Blues
and Dust of Angels saw their premier in Fukuoka by being programmed
in the sponsored event section of the festival, thus helping
promote the introduction of even more Chinese language motion
pictures.
As one of the sponsored events, the Asian Film Directors’ Conference
was held where Asian filmmakers such as Hou Hsiao-Hsien and
Toru Kawashima debated Asian cinemas.
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