Eight Filipino films, featuring five titles in the Eddie Garcia Retrospective section, are selected to participate in Italy’s Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine from June 24 to July 2 in a hybrid form with both in-person and online showings.
FEFF is the largest festival in Europe specializing in Asian Cinema and a contributor to the commercial distribution of Asian films across European and Italian markets. Last year, Xeph Suarez’s project, “Dancing the Tides” and Khavn Dela Cruz’s “Skeleton River” were featured in the FEFF Industry section.
For its 23rd edition this year, the Competition section features the award-winning film “Fan Girl” directed by Antoinette Jadaone, which will have its international festival and online worldwide premiere, while multi-awarded director Joel Lamangan’s “Anak Ng Macho Dancer” will have its Italian and online worldwide premiere. “A is for Agustin,” the first feature-length documentary by Grace Simbulan, is under the Out of Competition section and will have its European and online worldwide premiere.
In honor of the late television and film legend Eddie Garcia for his invaluable contributions to the industry, the special tribute “Eddie Garcia: Life as a Film Epic” under the Retrospective section presents four feature films and one short film.
The restored version of Ishmael Bernal’s debut film “Pagdating sa Dulo” and Jun Robles Lana’s “Bwakaw” will both have their Italian premiere, online worldwide, and offline screenings. Lamangan’s “Rainbow’s Sunset,” Raymond Red’s Cannes Palme d’Or for Short Film recipient “Anino,” and “Sinasamba Kita” by Eddie Garcia will have their Italian and online only worldwide premiere.
For this year’s FEFF’s Industry section, Martika Ramirez Escobar’s project “Bird Eyes” will participate in Focus Asia’s program. Journalists Jason Tan Liwanag and Richard Olano will be part of the FEFF Campus training project.
Since 2017, through the Spotlight Philippines program, FEFF has screened 19 Filipino films, which includes Lana’s “Die Beautiful,” Loy Arcenas’ “Ang Larawan,” and Joyce Bernal’s “Miss Granny,” among others, to showcase the diverse and multifaceted Filipino stories. The festival has also been a platform for more Filipino filmmakers to be exposed on a global platform.
“We are grateful to the Far East Film Festival in Udine for propagating Asian films in Europe and supporting Philippine Cinema once more by featuring a total of eight films, selecting a project and two journalists, and mounting a heartwarming tribute to our eternal icon Eddie Garcia to further his artistry and legacy,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.
In 2018, FEFF selected the Philippines as its “Country of Focus” in celebration of the One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema. Through the FDCP’s International Film Festival Assistance Program, the Agency provided support to the five selected Filipino films for their participation in FEFF 2019. Two Filipino projects were selected for the FEFF Industry section when it moved into online platforms in 2020.
The 23rd FEFF, organized by Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche, will screen 63 titles from South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, Myanmar, and the Philippines.
For more information on the participating films in the FEFF, visit https://www.mymovies.it/ondemand/23feff/.
