Far East Film Festival 2017

This year 2017 JoRafCinema went again to the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. It is the 19th edition. There is no secret why. Since the first time at the FEFF in 2006 (link), we love the atmosphere open for discussion with many cinephiles, we love Asian movies for their creativity, their variety, the window it opens on this exciting part of the world. To see all the JoRaCinema reviews on FEFF2017 movies, you find them here.

It is still not so easy to go to Udine. Only a combination of trains, flight and bus made the journey short enough to enjoy peacefully the FEFF. And peacefully may not be the right term! Exciting is it!

The first movie starts at 9h and the last one often at midnight. And Udine offers a range of excellent restaurants such as La Nicchia, Alla Ghiacciaia, Concordia and excellent fast foods in the immediate vicinity of Teatro Nuovo for Bruschetta and Focaccia.

So many things to do during that week in Udine! Let's see what came up.

This FEFF #19 edition is bigger and does not allow any more to watch movies and participate to panels with film teams. As a cinephile, you have to choose. As a journalist, you can get an extra screening on request. 
Beside the competition, the FEFF used to propose a retrospective on Nikkatsu action films, Asian comedies, music comedies, etc. This time it is different: 
a. three documentaries,
b. Hong-Kong cinema over the last 20 years, in the frame of Creative visions,
c. four short cuts from Hong-Kong in the frame of Fresh wave shorts, 
d. four recent Chinese movies in the frame of China now,
e. four restored classics, one from Japan and three from the Philippines. All movies restored in 2016. 

I have not seen any proposed documentary, only one from the 10 Creative visions movies, the full Fresh wave shorts, not any China now movie, and 3 of 4 restored classics. 

The good point of the FEFF is to have only two locations and actually only one for the competition, the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine.

Foyer of Teatro nuovo during FEFF2017

View on the bar corner of Teatro nuovo during FEFF2017

The other location, the Visionario, is covering this time the Philippinos restored classics, most of the Creative visions and second public screenings for some movies of the competition.

Entrance of the Visionario during FEFF2017 (photo by FEFF2017 team)

The Black Dragon is the more expensive pass giving access to a named seat and a dedicated entrance in the movie theater. Therefore for people who want to support financially the FEFF and want to watch so many movies that the pause between two consecutive movies is needed to have lunch and not to make the queue.

Creative vision movies watched by JoRafCinema: 

• Made in Hong-Kong, by Fruit Chan, HK, 1997, restored in 2017,

Restored classics movies watched by JoRafCinema: 

• Branded to kill, by Suzuki Seijun, Japan, 1967, 
• Cain ad Abel, by Lino Brocka, Philippines, 1982, 
• Moments in a stolen dream, by Mike de Leon, Philippines, 1977.

There are four prizes this year on Udine. 
The My Movies audience award considers the rating of My Movies customers: Mad World, by Wong Chun from HK with Eric Tsang. 
The Black Dragon audience award considers the rating of Black Dragon viewers: Close-knit, by Ogigami Naoko from Japan with Ikuta Toma and Kiritani Kenta. 
The Audience award considers all the ratings excluding the My Movie customers and the Black Dragon viewers: 
1. Close-knit, highly recommended for the subtle treatment of the LGBT issue,
2. Split, recommended for the interesting story in the world of bowling,
3. Canola, highly recommended for the dramatic story and all emotions this gives.
In addition, JoRafCinema would definitely recommend: 
Survival family, for its story making think about a life without electricity, major political issue,
At the terrace, for its complex story well orchestrated and acted,
Vanishing time, for its very poetic idea and the emotions this gives,
Over the fence, for its beautiful story with poetic moments and excellent acting, 
My uncle, for its amazing humour, 
Fabricated city, for its modernity and creativity,
Mad world, for the great acting and the ambiguity given by the directing,
Shock wave, for the great terrorist thriller,
Confidential assignment, for the clever story combining North and South Korean characters without one being superior to the other and for the great acting of Yoo Hae-jin.

From the short cuts, JoRafCinema recommends: 
Even ants strive for survival, for its sharp and funny critic to totalitarism, 
Life on the line, for the emotional burst it gives.

For next year, I am sure to be there again! The balance for FEFF2017 is good with several excellent movies, even if I missed more fights and crazy humour that Far East Asian movies dare more and make definitely better than anyone in the workd. Hopefully there will be less movies also so that the panels and the special selections (retrospective) can be seen beside the competition movies; at least partially.