UDINE, Italy — The northern Italian city of Udine put a triumphant cap on its annual celebration of Asian cinema this week as the 28th Far East Film Festival crowned Kimura Taichi’s Fujiko as its top audience prize winner, with a record approximately 70,000 visitors attending screenings and events across the festival’s run.
Fujiko, Kimura’s second feature, centers on a middle-aged single mother struggling to find her footing in 1970s and 1980s Japan, a society still wrestling with the concept of women’s liberation. The film stars Yuki Katayama, Lily Franky, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Keiko Takeshita, Kayoko Kishimoto, and Issey Ogata in a warmly realized ensemble. Critics praised the film for its emotional generosity and its nuanced depiction of a woman navigating social expectations that remain painfully resonant today.
The Silver Mulberry — the festival’s second-most coveted audience award — went to The Seoul Guardians, a documentary by Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan, and Cho Chul-young that captures the dramatic events of December 3, 2024, when citizens in Seoul took to the streets in protest of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning declaration of martial law. The film’s recognition underscores the festival’s commitment to politically engaged documentary work alongside its trademark celebration of genre and popular cinema.
Lifetime Achievement honors at this year’s FEFF were awarded to two towering figures: legendary Japanese actor Koji Yakusho, celebrated for his decades of powerful screen work across domestic and international productions, and Hong Kong filmmaker and martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, whose influence on action cinema — from Jackie Chan’s early films to The Matrix — has been immeasurable. Chinese actress Fan Bingbing received the festival’s award for outstanding achievement.
This year’s edition screened 75 films in total, including eight world premieres, 18 international premieres, 21 European premieres, and 20 Italian premieres from 12 countries — a lineup that festival president Sabrina Baracetti described as a demonstration of the undiminished vitality of Asian filmmaking. “We had superstars of Asian cinema and we had blockbusters,” Baracetti said, noting full houses throughout the festival’s duration.
