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.