Asian Film Festivals in Europe 2019

February is the month of cinema and to celebrate it AER shares with you a compilation of some of the most relevant Asian film festivals that take place in Europe throughout the year.

Taiwan Film festival, Reykjavik (8-24 March 2019); London (3-14 April 2019)
This festival is proud of being the first in the UK and Iceland devoted only to Taiwanese films of all the times. It will take place for the first time in the northernmost capital of the world, Reykjavik and will afterwards visit London. The festival curator, Aephie Chen, highlights: “Bringing the Taiwan Film Festival to Iceland and the UK was an obvious fit because of the strong roots of storytelling and independent filmmaking on each of these islands. Iceland’s festival
programme is inspired by films which give a voice to forgotten places and peoples”.

What is different: the programme of the festival includes over 50% of female-directed films and will show a number of films which have never been released in Iceland or the UK. In addition, they organise a Student Journalist Prize of film criticism.

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CinemAsia, Amsterdam (5th edition, 5-10 March 2019)
This festival is one of the most well-known and successful ones. This edition includes films from 15 regions among which: Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, and, of course, The Netherlands.
What is different: CinemAsia has as founding principles to give voice to the Asian Diaspora as well as to the Asian LBGTQ, therefore so many films regarding these topics can be watched during the Festival. This year’s edition deals with the concept of diversity in the continent and it includes a new section devoted to culinary-cinema in Asia that we love ❤.

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UK Asian Film Festival, London; Edimburgh; Leicester; Manchester (21st edition, 27 March-7 April 2019)
The UK Asian Film Festival is the oldest one in Europe and it has multiple locations. It screens independent films linked to South Asia. In addition to the movies, the Festival offers interviews, masterclasses, workshops, live performances, visual art exhibitions and organizes an annual short film competition.
What is different: in this festival, you will not only be able to watch films but also to participate in multiple activities that may increase your contact network as well as your understanding of Asian film production. It is mainly focused on South Asian films from countries such as India, Pakistan and the UK and the US.

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Asian Film Festival Barcelona, Barcelona (dates TBA)
The last edition of Asian Film Festival Barcelona (6th) displayed more than a hundred recent films from 20 different Asian countries and regions including the former Soviet Republics, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
What is different: it showcases awarded films by prestigious institutions such as the Asian Film Academy as well as former participants of the Cannes Film Festival.  Those films show the contemporary rural and urban Asian Society and the most common genre is drama.

Spain Moving Images Festival, Madrid (21-30 June)
Spain Moving Images Festival takes place in Madrid and last year it celebrated its 3rd edition. It is devoted to filmmakers, artists and emerging Asian movements and screens avant-garde current audiovisual works and creators from China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia.
What is different: the festival includes many different kinds of styles such as audiovisual creation, cinema and video art. It is the only festival that also projects animation films.

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