Returning to Fukuoka for its second hosting after a lapse of 11 years, 49th Asia Pacific Film Festival was held following Focus on Asia 2004 Fukuoka International Film Festival. To add an air of color to the Focus on Asia Fukuoka International Film Festival, tickets permitted audiences to see films presented in either festival. As a result, audience figures for this year reached a total of 23,020 setting an all time record.
"Stirring Trip to Mutuo", the opening film from China and "Lalon" from Bangladesh drew special attention from those in the film industry from the point of view of being "discoveries of unknown masterpieces". Other films from China included "When Ruoma Was Seventeen" depicting a girl from Yunan falling in love for the first time presented with a rich sense of feeling, and "My Bittersweet Taiwan", a winner of many film awards in China. With Japan presently in the midst of a very popular "Hanryu" trend of accepting Korean culture, the festival’s four Korean films and a special Korean forum entitled "New Vision for a New Century" attracted quite an audience.
 The film festival was able to present a rich lineup of the latest films by Asian film directors already well known in Japan, such as Dariush Mehrjui (Iran), Maniratnam (India), Sumitra Peries (Sri Lanka), Garin Nugroho (Indonesia), Marilou Diaz-Abaya (Philippines) and Im Kwon-taek (Korea).
 A "barrier-free exhibition" was attempted for the very first time. "The Crying Wind" was screened with Japanese subtitles for the visually handicapped and a supplementary sound channel for those handicapped with hearing. Starting this year, tickets were offered with special added value good at participating restaurants.
 A special screening of "Gena K", the film directional debut of Yoshimasa Fujie of Fukuoka, was held on the closing day of the festival. The film set in Fukuoka, starred Shubbi and Akiko Yoshii, who both attended the premiere screening which drew a large audience arriving early in the morning for their tickets.