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The annual film event in Laos that was for the past 12 years known as the Luang Prabang Film Festival has given up its name in order to go ahead with next month’s edition.

“Organizers have recently acquiesced to a name change in order to continue to produce this year’s event, scheduled for Dec. 8- 11, and will move forward using only the iconic blue chair to identify the festival,” they said in a statement that also unveiled the festival’s film selection.

Contacted by Variety, organizers had no additional comment beyond their published statement.

The festival has been operated on a non-profit basis with the backing of private sector and local government sponsors in the Unesco Heritage town of Luang Prabang. It has supported the Laos local film industry, operated talent development workshops and provided free-of-charge screenings of recent Southeast Asian films to the Laos public.

The 2022 selection includes...

Talks ongoing this week on Warning From Hell, Takut Ke Tak.

Los Angeles-based finance, production and sales outfit Est Studios has announced a partnership with Malaysia’s Jazzy Pictures to represent a pair of horror titles and is launcing sales at AFM this week.

Under the deal Est can sell exclusively to North America. and to other international territories outside Malaysia and Singapore on a non-exclusive basis.

The first title in the partnership is Warning From Hell (pictured) which received its world premiere at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in July and screened at London East Asian Film Festival this month.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising of ten countries in Southeast Asia, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam. Evidently, the movie industry of these countries does not yet reach the size of Japan, India and S. Korea for example, but through the support of foreign companies (S. Korea has invested heavily in Indonesia that last few years for example), streaming services and a number of European festivals, along with the continuous support of Busan, a number of local filmmakers have managed to produce movies of great quality. 25 of the best, we present in this list.

Without further ado, here are the best Asean films of 2021, in reverse order. Some films may have premiered in 2020, but since they mostly circulated in 2021, we decided to include them.

25. Death Knot

In the end, “Death Knot” is a horror movie which relies...

The uneasy feeling of being a stranger in your own country brings two damaged souls together in “Hail, Driver!,” a bittersweet drama about life on the social and economic margins in Kuala Lumpur. This low-key tale about an unlicensed taxi driver and a disillusioned sex worker is light on plot but rewarding as a commentary on class distinctions and cultural divides in contemporary Malaysia. Strikingly filmed in black-and-white and well performed by lead actors Amerul Affendi and Mei Fen Lim, “Hail, Driver” opened on 41 local screens on Dec. 16 and is Malaysia’s entrant in Oscar’s international feature category.

Writer-director Muzzamer Rahman began filming “Hail, Driver” in 2017. A three-year delay caused by budget problems resulted in Rahman’s horror-comedy “Takut ke Tak” beating his debut feature into Malaysian cinemas and becoming what must surely be the lengthiest production schedule of any film in the current International Oscar race. Scenes filmed...

Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Drive My Car,” Japan’s entry to the Academy Awards’ international category, looks to be the odds on favorite from Asia to win the category.

The drama with a theater world backdrop follows the trajectory of South Korean four-statuette winner “Parasite” in that it began its winning ways at Cannes and is festooned with awards en route to the Oscars. “Parasite” won the Palme d’Or, which “Drive My Car” did not, with that honor this year going to Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” which became France’s entry to the category. It also recently won at the New York Film Critics Circle.

Nevertheless, “Drive My Car” won three awards at Cannes and has the added advantage of U.S. distribution, where it is currently on theatrical release.

The 2008 win for Takita Yojiro’s “Departures” remains Japan’s only win since the category was made competitive in 1956.

While...

Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue and that was released theatrically in their respective countries between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021. The shortlist of fifteen finalists is scheduled to be announced on 21 December 2021. The final five nominees are scheduled to be announced on 8 February 2022.

Here are the Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film. There are some excellent movies in this bunch and we have seen and reviewed already some of them.

Armenia

“Should the Wind Drop” by Nora Martirosyan

Azerbaijan

“The Island Within” by Ru Hasanov

Bangladesh

“Rehana” by Abdullah Mohammad Saad

Bhutan

“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom...

While all the megalopolis of the world share some common features, there is something distinctly different about many Asian capitals, such as Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta or even Tokyo. Apart of course from the cultural background, their architecture and structure seems to heighten the kind of paradox which comes with every urban landscape, that people live together while being apart at the same time. At least, this seems to be the core image of many features taking lace in these cities, with director Muzzamer Rahman’s “Hail, Driver!” being the latest entry in that regard. The chance encounter of two people who got lost in the maze of Kuala Lumpur is both, an urban fairy tale as well as a portrayal of loneliness and companionship in the modern city.

Hail, Driver! is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

Once, Aman (Amerul Affendi) moved to the city to pursue his dream of becoming a writer,...

The Far East Film Festival returns with a hybrid edition for the first time, screening a total of 63 titles from 11 countries and regions and stretching the festival run from its home town of Udine to across Italy and the digital realm.

The 23rd edition of the Udine festival, which has long established itself as a key window to Asian cinema in Europe, will also be expanding its number of physical screenings with five screens, including an open-air cinema accommodating 400 cinema-goers on the Visionario lawn, an initiative that will allow more film buffs to enjoy the cinematic art in person while maintaining safety amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite the fact that the pandemic has severely impacted cinema productions around the world, the festival is able to scout a slate of new features, including those from Macao and Myanmar which will be marking their debuts at the festival. Running from June 24 to...

After the 2020’s online Edition, this yer Udine Far East Film Festival will run a “hybrid” edition from 24th of June to the 2nd of July. Withe a public online press conference the Programme has been unveiled.

Festival’s directress Sabrina Baracetti has opened the press conference with a heartfelt mention to young producer and filmmaker Ma Aeint recently arrested and detained by the military regime in Myanmar. Far East Film Festival wants to add its voice to those of the others protesting and shouting out loudly for Ma Aeint’s freedom.

After a sincere tribute to the sponsors and the local authorities that have helped Feff since its start, Baracetti has revealed the line-up that includes 63 titles from 11 countries, 10 female directors, 6 world premiere, 11 international premiere, 22 European premiere and 21 Italian premieres. Zhang Yimou’s Chinese Spy Thriller “Cliff Walkers” will open the Festival on the 24th of June, while Herman Yau...

I became familiar with the work of Adam Taufiq Suharto through our ‘submit your film’ initiative, reviewing his work “Belas“, “Gelora“, “Balah Tuah“, and “Dekaden“, with another contributor covering his debut “Falasi“. These films act as an example of what makes the ‘submit your film’ process exciting for a critic, showcasing unique talent that has potential to become a defining voice in cinema. Suharto is one of the many directors through our initiative that has left that impression. The interest in his projects grew through experiencing his ability to convey deeply introspective narratives, utilizing the universally understood language of cinema, as well as a sharp visual style which can transition from serene to disquieting in a seamless fashion. With admiration for his work, I wanted to speak to Adam Taufiq Suharto to better understand his process and thoughts on film. Suharto was also shortlisted in our annual list of best...