OPENING　EVENT

Our opening event was held on September 15 (Fri.)

OPENING CEREMONY

• This year, approximately 40 of our guests made their stylish appearance under the autumn night sky as they walked on the red carpet of our specially designed stage, set at the Sun Plaza Stage of the newly renovated Canal City Hakata complex. It was a glamourous Opening Ceremony for the Film Festival with such red-carpet appearances by Dick Lee of Singapore, a laureate of the Fukuoka Prize in 2003, and individuals associated with “Nakyung and Kinukawa”, a film cinematographed jointly by young filmmakers from Southeast Asia and Japan on our local Genkaijima Island.
  Fukuoka Mayor SoichiroTakashima and Kenjiro Fukamachi, an event producer, musician and local personality, joined Dick Lee on stage where they exchanged their views on motion pictures and music.

OPENING FILM

• “Wonder Boy” (2017), a film directed by Dick Lee and shown for the first time outside its country of origin, was screened as our Opening Film. Dick Lee was presented with a bouquet of flowers which arrived from his long-time fans. Many who had looked forward to his visit rushed to the venue and enjoyed the motion picture based on untold episodes of the early days of Dick Lee.

SCREENINGS INCLUDING “NEW AND MUCH TALKED ABOUT FILMS FROM ASIA”

September 16 (Sat.) ~ September 25 (Sun.)

• 16 Asian masterpieces were screened as part as our “New and Much Talked about Films from Asia” program. After the film screenings, Question and Answer sessions were held with the participation of our Festival guests. These were followed by “autograph sessions.” Active questions livened up the audience.

THE FUKUOKA AUDIENCE AWARD CEREMONY

September 20 (Wed.)

• Votes from the audience were tabulated to determine the winners to the Fukuoka Audience Award and its follow-up award, the Kumamoto City Award. The Fukuoka Audience Award went to “Bad Genius” (Thailand) while “Violinist” (Iran) picked up the Kumamoto City Award. After the ceremony, there was a special screening of “Dealer/Healer” (Hong Kong), a film which received the assistance of the Fukuoka Film Commission.

SPECIAL FEATURE: THAI FILMS

“Thai Films-A Diversity of Charm”

• With the Japan Foundation Asia Center as our co-organizer, we presented a special feature on Thai films entitled “Thai Films, A Diversity of Charm.”

SCREENING OF OUR SPECIAL FEATURE OF THAI FILMS

• Together with a motion picture included in our “New and Much Talked about Films from Asia” program, a total of 8 titles were screened under our special feature of Thai films. Invited Festival guests gave stage greetings, and participated in Question and Answer session after the films were screened.

SYMPOSIUMS

• Under the title of “A Taste of Thai Films: Rich in Variety, Diversity and Charm”, symposiums were held with the participation of film directors and film industry related individuals. The symposiums covered various themes such as “horror.”

THAI PANEL EXHIBITION

• With the cooperation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, booths on Thai tourism were installed in our venues which introduced Thai cuisine and culture.

SPECIAL FEATURE ON JAPANESE FILMS

September 17 (Sun.)

• In commemoration of Japanese film director OBAYASHI Nobuhiko’s latest film, “HANAGATAMI”, special 35mm screenings of 3 of his past films were held.

DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL FEATURE

September 18 (Mon.)

• Under the special feature title of “An Asian Remix”, 3 films were selected, each observing Asian culture in addition to making an up-front examination of its history and society.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

September 23 (Sat.)

①Special Exhibition for the Kumamoto Earthquake Recovery Assistance Effort

• As a Kumamoto Earthquake Recovery Assistance Effort program, a special charity screening of “Ca va?” was exhibited. The film was produced by “Team Kumamoto for Regional Revitalization”, comprised of the film director and cast who are from Kumamoto, as well as the municipal government of Kumamoto.

②Special Screenings of Japanese-Chinese Motion Pictures

• Special screenings of “Ms. Mao’s Bag” and “SURPRISE” were held. The films screened were joint projects of Kyushu Media Inc., known for its collaboration with overseas partners and UNIMEDIA, a group comprised of top creators from China.

BARRIER-FREE SCREENINGS

September 18 (Mon.), September 23 (Sat.)

• Two films (a Japanese and an Asian film) were screened with audio guidance, Japanese subtitles and supplementary sound channels assistance.

SPECIAL EXHIBITION: FILMS SUPPORTED BY THE FUKUOKA FILM COMMISSION

Special exhibitions were held of films which received cooperation from the Fukuoka Film Commission during their filming. This year “Dealer/Healer” (Hong Kong), an overseas film supported by the Fukuoka Film Commission, was screened after the Fukuoka Audience Award Ceremony.

PROMOTION OF CREATIVE RELATED INDUSTRIES

September 18 (Mon.), September 22 (Fri.), September 24 (Sun.)

FUKUOKA PANORAMA

• Works by visual creators active in Fukuoka, works set in Fukuoka and works with Fukuoka as their main key word were selected and screened. A program where rich, individualistic talent shouldering the next generation, all come together.　

FUKUOKA FILM FORUM

September 18 (Mon.)

• Young Japanese and Southeast Asian filmmakers, involved in the planning and pitch presentation, jointly cinematographed what was selected into a short film entitled “Nakyung and Kinokawa” on Genkaijima Island, the film of which received a special screening at the FUKUOKA PANORAMA, mentioned above.

CLOSING FILM

September 24 (Sun.)

• Our closing film was a special screening of “MIKO GIRL”, a film shot at Miyajidake Shrine. In addition to the film screening, there were stage greetings from film director GU Suyeon and leading actress HIROSE Alice.

Restoration Asia

September 23 (Sat.) and September 24 (Sun.)

• “Restoration Asia”, which holds workshops on film preservation and restoration, was held for the first time in Fukuoka. Many archivists came to the event held at the Fukuoka City Public Library, which featured a “Film Archive Backyard Tour”, the screening of a restored version of “Santi-Vina” (1954), Thailand’s first feature film in 35mm color, and a symposium on Digital Restoration.

SPECIAL SCREENING OF AN ASIAN FILM FOR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

September 27 (Wed.)

• This is a project designed to provide junior high school students with wide-range opportunities to see Asian films which are shown infrequently. This fiscal year, we invited 485 junior high school students to the Kurosaki Hibishin Hall for a special screening of “Violinist”, the Iranian film which won the Kumamoto City Award.

PRESS SCREENING

August 29 (Tue.)

• Prior to the start of the Film Festival, a special screening of the film “Violinist” (Iran), also shown during the Festival, was held for the press and mass media at the Fukuoka City Public Library Movie Hall Cine-la. On this occasion, organizers of Film Festival related events were able to promote their events to library visitors.

POSTER EXHIBITION

• Posters of films to be shown this year were exhibited within the exhibition space area of the Fukuoka City Public Library. In addition to providing information on the motion pictures, the films were promoted by informing library visitors with film highlights.

NEO CINEMAP FUKUOKA

September 20 (Tue.) and September 21 (Wed.)

• “Neo Cinemap Fukuoka” was organized as an Asian film market, a center to conduct business meetings on Asian films and visual content. The event was centered around Asian production companies who submitted their films to the Film Festival selling their products to Japanese buyers. Both Japanese and overseas production companies and distributors conducted business meetings, made presentations and exchanged opinion. “Neo Cinemap Fukuoka” drew the participation of 91 individuals representing 60 companies from 14 countries.