34th Tokyo International Film Festival winners named

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 -- The 34th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) concluded with the announcement of winners at the Closing Ceremony recently.

The Tokyo Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Vera Dreams of the Sea’, directed by Kaltrina Krasniqi, the first TIFF selection from Kosovo; while ‘World, Northern Hemisphere’ by Hossein Tehrani won the Asian Future Best Film Award.

Other winning films included ‘La Civil’, ‘Poet’, ‘The Other Tom’, ‘The Four Walls’, ‘Crane Lantern’ and ‘Just Remembering’, as well as Amazon Prime Video Take One Awardees ‘Sunday and Calm Sea’ and ‘Under the Bridge’.

The 34th TIFF showcased 126 films selected from 1,533 submissions from 113 countries and regions between Oct 30 and Nov 8, according to a statement.

The Japan Foundation Asia Center (JF) and TIFF have co-presented Conversation Series at Asia Lounge.

With an advisory panel headed by Palme d'Or winner Kore-eda Hirokazu, the series brought together acclaimed filmmakers and actors from Asia and beyond to engage in friendly dialogue for eight days.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Asia Lounge featured both in-person and online guests, with audiences able to participate in person and to livestream Q and As for each of the talks, as well as it could also set up the physical lounge where filmmakers would enjoy free-form conversation and exchange.

International guests included TIFF Jury President Isabelle Huppert, Chang Chen, Kamila Andini, Bahman Ghobadi, Brillante Ma Mendoza, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Bong Joon Ho.

The JF and TIFF also jointly showcased the rich and diverse cultures of Asian cinema in the Competition, Asian Future, Gala Selection, World Focus and newly launched TIFF Series sections.

More details at https://2021.tiff-jp.net/en/

-- BERNAMA