17-07-2016
The 13th edition of the Asian Summer Film Festival finished on Sunday and it handed three awards, instead of one as on previous years. As well as the Lucky Cat award, which is voted by the spectators, there were the Jury and the Critics Awards. The winners this year have been a Japanese bittersweet cross-generational comedy The Mohican Comes Home, which has won the Jury Award; a Chinese social drama that turns into a physiological thriller Old Stone has won the Critics Award and the third instalment of the story of the Master Bruce Lee, Ip Man 3 that captivated the audience.
The three winners show the leitmotiv of our programme: bringing film productions from different Asian countries and a variety of styles and genres. It combines the biggest new hits of the year with indie, art and inspirational films like Old Stone, which criticises Chinese public services and it was censored at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
The Jury of the 2016 Asian Summer Film Festival, which was formed by film directors Reji Hosino and Kyu-jun Cho, praised The Mohican Comes Home for its calm and expressive mise-en-scene and delicate narrative. They considered that the film wants to please the audience without betraying its art and essence. They said that is a film that fits in perfectly in a festival like the Asian Summer Film Festival.
The film programme of the festival has a fantastic barometer: spectators. Thanks to the ballots for voting, the organisation of the festival is able to grade of satisfaction of the audience. This year, the Lucky Cat Award has been very tight because there has not been a single film marked under 3 out of 5. Finally the winner has been Ip Man 3, followed by the runner-up, 24, and Baaghi that was third. Both are the always long awaited Indian blockbusters.
The Critics Award was chosen by unanimous vote thanks the wonders of Old Stone. Ip Man 3 came second and the labyrinthine Chongging Hot Pot unseated Office last minute, the latest film by the famous director Johnnie To, who just released his first musical.
