Screening of Asian Films from the Official Competition

• Hong Kong – is it still worth visiting?

The film follows the narrator’s return to his childhood home of Hong Kong after a five-year absence, exploring how the city has changed since the 2019 protests and the COVID-19 pandemic. The film reflects on the city’s unique identity and the challenges it faces, highlighting the importance of preserving its cultural traditions and spirit.

• From South of ASO: Where Warmth Blooms Within

• KOKIRIKO – The Ancient Japanese Folk Song

In the Gokayama region of Japan, people continue to live in harmony with nature, preserving time-honored traditions amid lush surroundings. Among these traditions is Kokiriko—believed to be Japan’s oldest folk song—passed down with care through generations in the World Heritage-listed gassho-style villages.
Kokiriko traces its roots to dengaku, a form of traditional performing art. In this dynamic expression, musicians known as jikata play classical instruments while dancers perform a rhythmic, energetic dance using a traditional percussion instrument called the sasara.

• Yunnu Futouba – In the dialect of Yoron

On Yoron Island, legend has it that the gods’ boat struck a coral reef, causing the reef to rise and form the island itself.
Encircled by coral seas, this small island is blessed with lush nature and a tranquil way of life.
The story begins with a young island girl recounting the ancient myth. From there, to the rhythm of the traditional island song Shinumandai, the voices of the people emerge—visitors enchanted by the island’s charm, young locals who once left but later returned, and generations of islanders who have long cherished this land.

• Eastern Flow

The international promotional film Eastern Flow from Taiwan is centered around the concept of “flow,” using poetic visual storytelling to showcase the breathtaking landscapes of the Hualien and Taitung region. The film captures the vast expanse of the Pacific coastline and the serene majesty of the rolling mountains, while also highlighting the deep interaction between people and nature—an experience of self-discovery and slow living. Through the movement of visuals and emotions, Eastern Flow conveys the profound connections between people and their surroundings, inviting global audiences to immerse themselves in the flowing beauty of Taiwan’s eastern region.

• DJ, MONK

As his parents’ eldest son, Gyosen Asakura was expected to inherit his family’s Buddhist Temple in Fukui, Japan, a responsibility that filled him with resentment. Filled with a passion for electronic music and a desire to forge his own path, Gyosen left for Kyoto, where he rose as a DJ in the city’s vibrant music scene. However, just as his career was burgeoning, a new set of circumstances caused him to reevaluate his choices and relationship to Buddhism.
This documentary explores Gyōsen’s unexpected journey of reconciliation, a reluctant return evolving into a creative exploration of spirituality. As he navigates the space where traditional Buddhist practices and his love of electronic music overlap, his story becomes one of transformation, breathing new life into his family’s aging temple and its community.

• The Garden of Truth

A filmmaker journeys deep into the mountains of Japan, to the remote town of Maniwa.

There, people have lived in harmony with the forest for generations.

What is their way of life like?

Why do they continue to live this way in the modern age?

With these questions in mind, the filmmaker sets out in search of answers.

People living with trees. Families bound by nature.

Through their hands, the filmmaker discovers a deeper meaning of life.

• The Memoir

The mystery of how two souls were connected. The depth of our ancestors’ commitment to create, to preserve and to pass on the value of inheritances manifests in the journey of the sisterhood, Ploy and Pra-ew. The Memoir portraits local heroes who thrive to cherish local wisdoms, cultural heritage, and the beauty of art and craft that make Sukhothai a listed UNESCO world heritage site. Hiddenly highlighted in this short film is the valuable locally made assets: Sukhothai gold and silver, hand woven fabric, Sukhothai unique pattern on ceramic “Sangkalok”, the plentiful rice field “the backbone of the Thai kitchen”, the creator of Thai alphabets and the tangible and intangible values of the Thai Buddhism. This story is expressed through Thai unique performing art and music, newly composed to capture “the sound of heritage” Sukhothai.