The AWFF is organized by ASIA UNLIMITED e.V., an intercultural platform with an Asian focus, which was founded in 2007 as an independent, experimental and non-profit organization for cultural exchange between Europe and Asia. Opening Film: Thursday, 15th Oct. 09, 19.00 Cinema 1 Talentime - IN MEMORY of Yasmin Ahmad (1958 – 2009) Malaysia 2009, 120 Min., Original with English Subtitles As a tribute to the great Malaysian film director Yasmin Ahmad, who passed away this year on July 25, the festival will open with her last film Talentime. The setting of the film is a school competition where the complicated interplay between personal, religious and ethnic conflicts within the everyday multi-ethnic reality of Malaysia unfolds in a critical yet humorous way. Ahmad’s work has strongly influenced the themes and aesthetics of the new Malaysian cinema, and has introduced it to an international audience. Focus North Korea At the first Asian Women’s Festival in 2007 we presented a series of five classics from the South Korean archives. This year the focus will be on North Korea. Five films covering four decades will offer a condensed panorama of North Korean cinema, which produced over 100 feature films since the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1948. Focus Asian Diaspora Another section of this year’s festival concentrates on films of the Asian “Diaspora”, a term which itself raises questions: what legitimacy does the term have on a personal level as compared to a national Asian identity? Focus Philippines (Sat. 17.10.) More than 8 million Filipinos work outside the country, keeping the national economy going with money sent home. Many families are forced to live far away from each other, the separation becomes a part of their normal lives. Six films deal with this theme from the perspective of the Philippine immigrants themselves. Focus New Asian Cinema Nine other films from Malaysia, Singapur, South Korea, China/Hongkong, Thailand and Indonesia deal with the lives of women in Asia. The closing film will be Forever the Moment from Soon-rye LIM (South Korea 2008, 20.10.). Lim's film is a reflective work about loss and defeat, which at the same time inspires determination for a new start. Enjoy the films! » Kino Arsenal : Potsdamer Straße 2, 10785 Berlin, Phone +49-30-26955-100, Fax +49-30-26955-111 |
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