Osaka Asian Film Festival Sets Competition, Focus Sections on Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Three Japanese films enjoying their world premieres, along with festival favorites “City of Wind” and “Solids by the Seashore,” are set to appear in the 13-title competition section of the Osaka Asian Film Festival in March.
The event will be held March 1-10 at venues including ABC Hall, Cine Libre Umeda, T-Joy Umeda and the Nakanoshima Museum of Art. The opening and closing films will be announced in early February.
The 19th edition of the festival, which will eventually contain 55 feature and short films, is set to also include three special programs – a “Thai Cinema Kaleidoscope,” “Taiwan: Movies on the Move,” and “Special Focus on Hong Kong” – as well as its regular Spotlight Section on underrated Asian films and the Indie Forum of more challenging and innovative works.
The competition titles are: “City of Wind,” by Mongolia’s Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir; “Fire on Water,” by Malaysia’s Sun-J Perumal; “Hyphen,” by The Philippines Joy Arnaldo; “The Lyricist Wannabe,” by Hong Kong’s Norris Wong; “The Missing,” by The Philippines’ Carl Joseph E.

Papa; “Not Friends,” by Thailand’s Atta Hemwadee; “Salli,” by Taiwan’s Lien Chen Hung; “Solids by the Seashore,” by Thailand’s Patiparn Boontarig; “Trouble Girl,” by Taiwan’s Chin Chia-hua; and the world premiere of “Unborn Soul,” directed by Zhou Zhou and credited as an Australia-China joint production. The three Japanese films making their public debuts in competition are: “Memories of his Scent” directed by Higashi Kahori; “Snowdrop” by Yoshida Kota; and “Suishin 0 Meter Kara,” by Yoshida Nobuhiro.
Other standout selections include: “13 Bombs,” by Indonesia’s Angga Dwimas Sasongko; “The Fourth Man,” by Singapore’s Tay Bee Pin; “Everyphone, Everywhere,” by Hong Kong’s Amos Why; and Chris Rudz’s “All the Songs We Never Sang.”
With the support of Kobe College, Department of English, the Bangladeshi film “Rickshaw Girl” will be screened.