Asian Cinerama will present six Asian Film Awards nominated and winning works at the FFFF: Mad World (dir. WONG Chun, Hong Kong) tells of how a former banker rebuilds his life after being hospitalized for bipolar disorder, giving a microscopic view on Hong Kong’s crushing pressure on the poor that try to rise above. Crosscurrent (dir. YANG Chao, mainland China) depicts the sporadic encounters between a listless sailor and a mysterious woman on a merchandise ship that sails up the Yangtze River. The film breathes poetic beauty while depicting the daily toil and ennui of sea workers. Fuelled with boggling plot twists and starred by two of the most quick-witted Greater Chinese comic actors Michael Hui and Na Dou, Godspeed (dir. CHUNG Mong-hong, Taiwan) is an upbeat buddy road movie on how two small time crooks form their friendship over a violent gangster deal.

With director Iwai Shunji’s signature perceptive observation of human pathos expressed with peppy manga-style expressiveness, A Bride for Rip Van Winkle (Japan) tells the story of how an introverted bride hires a team to play her relatives to stage a wedding to please her groom’s family. Soul Mate (Hong Kong, mainland China) is a coming of age story of two girls’ turbulent, passionate and melancholic friendship. First-time director Derek TSANG’s refreshing storytelling and style capture the inevitable and ethereal pain and beauty of maturing. The Age of Shadows (dir. KIM Jee-won, South Korea) is a spectacular spy thriller set during the Japanese occupation of Korea, portraying the underground movement of Korean resistance conspiring against an oppressive colonial rule.