2012 Festival Programme

Pan-Asia Film Festival 2012 supported by   

 

With work from India, Kazakhstan, Japan, China, Tibet, Iran, Taiwan, and South Korea, the Pan-Asia Film Festival offers a unique showcase of pan-Asian contemporary cinema from across the region with a diverse programme of romantic tales, realist dramas, light comedies and, coming of age films. Pan-Asia Film Festival 2012 features one world premiere, five UK premieres and one London premiere.

Follow the links for more details on each film

ONE MORE
9 March 2012, 20.30 - Prince Charles Cinema Screen 1
Shivajee Chandrabhushan I India 2012 I 97 mins I Hindi/Ladakhi + English subtitles

World Premiere

From the remote north eastern edge of India, Ladakh’s first ever ice hockey team is playing a top international team and all they need is one more goal. By the multi-award winning director of Frozen, this is a story of passion, resilience and the crossing of cultural and political boundaries, played out on the world’s highest playgrounds.

Director Shivajee Chandrabhushan will be joining us for the World Premiere of the film.  A Q&A will follow the screening with Shivajee Chandrabhushan and  Naman Ramachandran.

 
 

3.11 A SENSE OF HOME
12 March 2012, 18.45 -Asia House
A project by Naomi Kawase I Japan 2011 I 75 mins I Japanese/Spanish/French/English + English subtitles

UK Premiere
 

 

UK Premiere of Award-winning director Naomi Kawase initiated a project in response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit the Tohoku region of Japan on 11 March 2011. The result is an anthology of films, all 3 minutes 11 seconds in duration, addressing the theme of ‘home’. The screening will coincide with the one year anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

There will be a panel discussion following the screening with Channel 4 News Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson.

Official Selection:
Nara International Film Festival 2011

 
 

STARRY, STARRY NIGHT
13 March 2012,20.30 -Prince Charles Cinema Screen 2
Tom Lin I Taiwan/China/Hong Kong 2011 I 98 mins I Mandarin + English subtitles

London Premiere

12 year old Mei longs for the life she had living with her grandfather up in the mountains, a longing that is captured in her enduring memory of her grandfather showing her the starry night-time sky. With a nod to Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, the film’s stunning visuals provide a striking contrast between Taiwan’s urban and mountain landscapes.

Official Selections & Awards:
Busan International Film Festival 2011
Asian Film Awards 2012 – Best Newcomer Nomination

 
 

THREE AND A HALF
14 March 2012, 18.45 -Asia House
Naghi Nemati I Iran 2011 I 80 mins I Farsi + English subtitles

UK Premiere

 

Nemati’s second feature follows three young women, Hanieh, Homa and Banafsheh, on a three day release from prison. Each is battling with their own inner conflicts which ultimately lead to tensions among them and a final abrupt twist. As their secrets unravel, there remains an overriding sense of togetherness, hope and freedom in this telling portrayal of the constraints of modern Iranian society on women. 

Official Selections:
Busan International Film Festival 2011
Warsaw International Film Festival 2011

 
 

THE SUN-BEATEN PATH
16 March 2012, 20.30 -Prince Charles Cinema Screen 1
Sonthar Gyal I Tibet 2011 I 89 mins I Tibetan + English subtitles

 

 

This debut feature follows a young man's journey from Lhasa to his home in a remote part of the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau. Having gone on a pilgrimage, prostrating all the way to Lhasa, angst-ridden Nyma is joined on his return by an old man. With breathtaking, windswept landscapes and often dreamlike sequences, Gyal brings to the screen a cinematic gem, affirming the emergence of a new Tibetan cinema.

Official Selections & Awards
Locarno Film Festival 2011
Vancouver International Film Festival 2011 – Dragons and Tigers Award
Hong Kong International Film Festival 2011 – Asian Digital Competition Special Mention

 
 

COME RAIN, COME SHINE
17 March 2012, 14.00-Ciné Lumiere
Lee Yoon-Ki I South Korea 2011 I 105 mins I Korean + English subtitles

UK Premiere

 

In this brilliantly crafted drama, a woman nonchalantly announces to her husband that she is leaving him for another man. On the day she is due to move out of their home, they both appear emotionless. All is seemingly normal, from their conversations about pasta recipes to booking a table at their favourite restaurant, until a torrential rain storm strikes. 

Official Selections & Awards:
Berlinale 2011 - Golden Bear Nomination
Hong Kong International Film Festival 2011
Busan International Film Festival 2011

 
 

MOTHER'S PARADISE
17 March 2012, 20.30 -Prince Charles Cinema Screen 2
Aktan Arym Kubat I Kazakhstan 2011 I 82 mins I Kazakh + English subtitles

UK Premiere

In rural Kazakhstan, a poverty-stricken family struggles to cope with the strains of everyday life. As a result, the father of two young boys, Amir and Serikbai, leaves for Russia in search of work. Despite the harsh realities it depicts, the film nevertheless retains an optimistic tone with Kubat’s signature of gently humorous and endearing moments. 

Official Selections:
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2011
Busan International Film Festival 2011

 
 

11 FLOWERS 
18 March 2012, 20.15 -Ciné Lumiere
Wang Xiao-Shuai I China/France 2011 I 110 mins I Mandarin + English subtitles

UK Premiere

 

By the director of Beijing Bicycle, this semi-autobiographical story is set in rural Guizhou Province in the latter days of the Cultural Revolution. This is a warm coming of age tale, infused with symbolic resonances of the bridge between childhood and adulthood, memories of the past and human relationships.

We will be joined by the star of the film, Wang Jinchung for a post screening Q&A.

Official Selections:
Toronto International Film Festival 2011
Busan International Film Festival 2011
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012