OPENING FILM
Love Education
Mother intends to relocate Grandpa’s grave so he could be re-buried with Grandma. However, her decision sparkles a conflict with Nana, Grandpa’s first wife. Weiwei, caught between her mother and Nana, is turning the fight over the grave into a reality TV show. However, after having spent time with Nana, she learns a new understanding of life.
SOUTHEAST ASIAN FOCUS
ADIWIRAKU
Set in rural Malaysia where poverty forces children to choose between learning and making a living, English teacher Cheryl Ann Fernando encourages her students daily to overcome. Together, they work tirelessly to prepare for a choral competition, prevailing over tragedy, hardship, and illness. Based on a true story, Adiwiraku is an inspirational story about modern poverty and a teacher’s will to see her students to succeed.
By The Time It Gets Dark
The interwoven stories of several characters: a film director and her muse; a waitress who keeps changing jobs; an actor; and an actress. Their lives are loosely connected by an almost invisible threads. The narrative sheds its skin several times over the course of the film, to reveal upon layer of the complexities that make up our lives.
Shuttle Life
One day, a car runs a red light and hits Ah Qiang and his 5-year old sister Hui Shan. Unfortunately, Hui Shan gets killed in the accident. Ah Qiang desperately tries to see Hui Shan but he has no documents to prove their relationship. As their mother has mental problems, Ah Qiang is forced to face the incident alone.
AQERAT
Hui Ling’s life will truly begin as soon as she makes it to Taiwan. Or so she thinks. Right now, she is in the Thai-Malaysian border, working odd jobs and saving money. Determined to make it even when she loses all her savings, she accepts her boss’ offer for quick money as a human trafficker. As she descends into the darkness of her sordid trade, she witnesses the atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya immigrants. Her beacon of light through this is Wei, a young hospital worker who believes that she is a woman from his past.
Pop Aye
In a chance encounter, a disenchanted architect bump into his long-lost elephant on the streets of Bangkok. Excited, he takes his elephant on a journey across Thailand, in search of the farm where they grew up together.
FEMALE FILMMAKERS IN FOCUS (FFF)
A Letter to The President
Soraya is a public official who tries to enforce the law within the terrible situation of Afghanistan today. Her decision to save a young woman accused of adultery from the justice of a clan provokes a chain reaction, even in the family. Then things get worse when following an argument Soraya accidentally kills her husband, a violent man. She is thus arrested and condemned to death. Only the president can save her; she has written a long letter to him, which appears to be lost; with the chance that it may be read too late.
Angels Wear White
In a small seaside town, two schoolgirls assault by a middle-aged man in a motel. Mia, a teenager who was working on reception that night, is the only witness. For fear of losing her job, she says nothing. Meanwhile, 12-years-old Wen, one of the victims, finds that her troubles have only just begun. Trapped in a world that offers them no safety, Mia and Wen will have to find their own way out.
Glass Garden
Despite her disabled leg, the Ph.D. student Jae-yeon is a brilliant researcher with a rare ability to communicate with nature. Having been hurt by her hypocrite colleague and lover, she turns her back to the world and goes deep into the forest to live alone in a glass garden. Meanwhile a novelist Ji-hoon develops a fascination for Jae-yeon and, despite her hover around her. Inspired by her, he eventually writes a novel about her titled The Glass Garden. Jae-yeon slowly begins to open up to him. However, he realizes that something mysterious is happening.
Radiance
Misako is a passionate writer of film versions for the visually impaired. At a screening, she meets Nakamori, an older photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight. Misako soon discovers Nakamori’s photographs, who will strangely bring her back to her past. Together, they will learn to see the radiant world that was invisible to her eyes.
The Seen And Unseen
One day in a hospital room, Tantri (10 years old) realizes that she will not have a long time along with her twin brother, Tantra. Tantra’s brain weakens and he starts to lose his senses one by one. Tantra is now spending most of his time lying in the hospital room while Tantri has to accept the reality that she has to face life alone. This situation opens up something in Tantri’s mind. Tantri keeps waking up in the middle of the night from a dream and seeing Tantra.
Year Without a Summer
Azam comes back to his village, to look for his childhood best friend, Ali. Ali and his wife Minah are overjoyed to meet this long lost friend, who had left the village thirty years ago. They had been following Azam’s news since he became a famous singer, although now Azam is over his peak. Ali and Minag invite Azam to their house. At night, Ali asks Azam to out fishing at the sea. They visit the Pukau Ular Island. The whole night, the three of them talk about love, marriage, village folklore, mystic creatures, and the wild boar hunting once upon a time. As the night id ending, Minah demonstrates that she could hold her breath underwater for 3 minutes. Azam tries to do the same, but he never appears again.
WORLD CINEMA
Blockage
Ghasem is working at Tehran Municipality and his job is to prevent vendors to sell their stuffs at the sidewalks. He’s to be fired because of his secret deals with some of the vendors and he’s looking for another job as a truck driver. He’s counting on his wife, Akram’s patrimony to buy the truck, however, Akram believe they should buy a small house and leave Ghasem’s father’s home. Nevertheless, Ghasem’s fighting with a vendor the other day, creates an opportunity to overcome these problems!
Felicite
Felicite is a proud, free-willed woman working as a singer in a bar in Kinshasa. Her life is thrown into turmoil when her 14 year-old son falls victim to an accident. To save him, she sets out on a breakneck race through the streets of electric Kinshasa – a world of music and dreams where she’ll cross paths with Tabu
Old Beast
Lao Yang is by no means a good husband and father. A man is in his 60s who had his fair share of success but went bankrupt years ago, he has since gone wayward and is tabbed as the Old Beast. By hooking on gambling, keeping a mistress, having a fallout with his family, neglecting his bedridden wife. He truly lives up to his nickname and shows no sign of remorse. When he steals the money his family gathers for his wife’s surgery, he sets himself on a path of self-destruction with no turning back.
Tesnota
24-year-old Ilana works in her father’s garage to help him make ends meet. One evening, her extended family and friends gather to celebrate the engagement of her younger brother David. Later that night, the young couple is kidnapped, and a ransom demand delivered. In this close-knit Jewish enclave, involving the police is out of the question. How will the family raise the money to save David? Ilanan and her parents, each in their own way, will go as far as necessary, whatever the risks to themselves.
The King
Born in a poor family, Tae-su learns that power is the most important thing in life and decides to become a prosecutor, the biggest symbol of power in the 90’s. After entering the emosy prestigious law school, experiencing democratic resistance in Korea. Tae-su finally reaches his goal of becoming a prosecutor, but his life is no better than salary man. By a chance, he joins a clique of the powerful prosecutors with wealth and authority. He finally gets a taste of a life of the top hierarchy, but as he enjoys the sweetness of supremacy, he also sees the cruel side of it.
The Taste of Rice Flower
After years working in town, Ye Nan, a mother from Dai Minority, comes back to her village in Yunnan at the Sino-Burmese border. She wants to take care of her left-behind 13 years-old problem daughter. However, the road to rebuild their relationship is full of obstacles. Meanwhile, villagers are excited about the newly built local airport and future possibilities. One day the daughter is arrested for stealing money from a donation box in the most sacred temple with her friend, who gets sick afterwards. As people think the girls are possessed by devil, they decide to follow indications from the Mountain God to save the girls and the future of their village, who asks them to go to worship the stone Buddha in the 250-million-year-old karst cave during the Water-Sprinkling Festival.
The White Girl
The White Girl is born allergic to the sun. She lives with her overprotective father in the last fishing village in Hong Kong. Street kid Ho Zai follows a group of Chinese tourists, snooping around the neighbourhood. The corrupt Village Chief welcomes them. What will become of this place? What will they do to protect it?
Tomorrow is Another Day
Despite was taking care of their autistic son together for 20 years, Mrs. Wong has found out that Mr.Wong is having an affair. After a bad fight, Mr.Wong leaves without a word. Mrs.Wong then finds out that Mr.Wong’s secret lover, Daisy Poon, is living in the same area as her. In despair, Mrs.Wong begins her plan to murder Daisy.
Adieu
Compassionate and optimistic, Yan Kiu starts working as an oncology social worker and has to provide assistance to patients and families affected by cancer. She is immediately assigned three cases: Cheung’s family with their little girl, Yan Yan, suffering from leukemia; the bride-to- be, Ka Shun, who is diagnosed with brain tumor; Auntie Lan, who is almost 80 years old and has less than a year to live due to late stage colorectal cancer. Each of the three of them faces death in their own ways: What’s the meaning of life if everyone is going to die at the end? She cannot answer the question.
CLOSING FILM
Yellow
Shahab, Nahal, Hamed, Faramarz and Nicki are the members of a scientific genius team who have patented an invention and are trying to immigrate from Iran to Europe. Three days before their journey to Italy, Hamed becomes comatose because of his unknown illness and it shocks the team tremedously. Hamed needs an organ transplant. The other four members try to solve problem concerning Hamed and their journey in their own ways. The crisis reveals layers of them in the past and present, which have been unknown till now in a normal situation, and it leads to new decision making and judgement.
SPECIAL SCREENING
Super Master and Disciple
Super Master and Disciple is a kungfu sitcom full of unexpected and interesting plots. The main characters are Su Yifei, an 18-year- old young adult and Lin Zhengyi, his 80-year- old disciple, an old Malaysian Chinese. As they get along with each other, Su Yifei, under the influence of his disciple, gradually realizes the essence of White Crane Boxing, Shaolin Fist and Biandan Boxing with hundreds of years.
MADE IN TAIWAN
A Fish out of Water
Yian, starting to go to kindergarten, often asks his parents to help him find his past life parents. However, doctors and his parents just think it might be psychosis with him. Meanwhile, his parents are under negotiation for a separation. His mom Yaji decides to move out with him while his dad Haoteng decides to look after Yian’s ill grandfather. Since his parents are busy with their current life, Yian leaves his wish to his grandfather however, it failed again with the death of his grandfather. After the funeral, Yaji and Haoteng tried to reconcile again and help Yian find his past life parents. Will Yian find the real parents in his past life ? Is it all true ? What will the journey influence this family?
Missing Johnny
Hsu Zi Qi is a young woman living alone. Lee is the son of Zi Qi’s landlady. Feng is a young builder. One morning, these three people accidentally meet. Through the interconnecting characters, the film explores the moments of oneliness and regret that punctuate lives in a modern metropolis, emphasising the importance and necessity of simple human contact.
