IFC 2024 Award-Winning Short Film Shines on the International Stage

Mongolian Director Lkhagvadulam PUREV-OCHIR’s A South Facing Window Wins Two Prizes at the Locarno Film Festival

18 August 2025

The International Film Camp 2024, organized by the Asian Film Awards Academy, has brought more good news! One of its supported projects, A South Facing Window, triumphed at the closing ceremony of the 78th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland on August 16. The film received a Pardo Verde Special Mention, as well as the Junior Jury Award for Best Short Film within the Concorso Corti d’Autore.

Directed by Mongolian filmmaker Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, the short film was selected for the Concorso Corti d’Autore competition within the festival’s Pardi di Domani section, where it had its world premiere. Dedicated to innovative and experimental short films, Pardi di Domani has long been regarded as an essential platform for emerging directors worldwide. Through its profound portrayal of family and social observation, A South Facing Window deeply impressed the juries and ultimately secured two prizes, underscoring the creative strength of emerging Asian filmmakers on the global stage.

Founded in 1946, the Locarno Film Festival is renowned for discovering bold and independent works. The Pardo Verde Award, established in 2022, specifically honors films that explore ecological issues in innovative and impactful ways, aiming to inspire audiences towards awareness and change. Meanwhile, the Junior Jury Awards are adjudicated by a panel of young jurors invited by the festival, with A South Facing Window chosen as the best short film among the entries. Receiving recognition from both panels highlights the film’s vision and international resonance.

A South Facing Window centers on family relationships in the bustling city of Ulaanbaatar. A young couple, strained by their daughter, work, and past emotional rifts, quarrel endlessly. In their new yet hollow apartment, they strive for stability and a future, while suffocated by mistakes and reality. Amidst the chaos of the city, they continue searching for hope.

Launched in 2024 by the Asian Film Awards Academy, the International Film Camp aims to nurture young Asian directors by helping them develop short film projects under the mentorship of industry professionals, each supported with HKD 300,000 production funding to step onto the international stage. A South Facing Window is one of the eight award-winning projects from IFC 2024, and it has now made its mark on the global arena with international acclaim.

The next edition, International Film Camp 2025, supported by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR (CCIDAHK), the Film Development Fund, Sands China, and Shaw Studios, will take place on September 10 in Macao. Stay tuned to witness the emergence of the next Asian short film to shine on the international festival stage!

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