The 6th Annual Asian World Film Festival Announces Official Competition Selection

The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) is proud to announce 14 films in Official Competition to be spotlighted at the virtual festival taking place March 10 - 15, 2021. All films are Asian Oscar® and/or Golden Globe® submissions for Best International Feature Film and Best Motion Picture Foreign Language, respectively.

Official Competition Lineup:

2000 SONGS OF FARIDA (Uzbekistan) directed by Yalkin Tuychiev

BETTER DAYS (Hong Kong) directed by Derek Tsang

CIRCUS OF LIFE (Pakistan) directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat

THE CRYING STEPPE (Kazakhstan) directed by Marina Kunarova

THE MAN STANDING NEXT (South Korea) directed by Min-ho Woo

A DARK, DARK MAN (Kazakhstan) directed by Adilkhan Yerzhanov

HIVE (Turkey) directed by Eylem Kaftan

IMPETIGORE (Indonesia) directed by Joko Anwar

JALLIKATTU (India) directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery

THE LAKE (Kyrgyzstan) directed by Emil Atageldjev

LEAP (China) directed by Peter Ho-Sun Chan

ROH (Malaysia) directed by Emir Ezwan

TRUE MOTHERS (Japan) directed by Naomi Kawase

WET SEASON (Singapore) directed by Anthony Chen.

Legendary Vietnamese-American actress Kieu Chinh (The Joy Luck Club, Journey from the Fall) will receive the Snow Leopard Lifetime Achievement Award for her film, humanitarian and philanthropic work.

Executive Director Georges N. Chamchoum said, "Our Snow Leopard Lifetime Achievement Award has always been about the personality behind the talent. Kieu Chinh represents both. Her talent and personality "shatter" the Screen! Furthermore, THE MOVIES in competition this year, as every year, reflect the vibrancy of Asian Cinema and the true spirit of what we are about: The Window to Asian World Cinema at its BEST!"

AWFF Snow Leopard Awards for Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress, as well as Special Distinction and Jury prizes will be presented to the winners at the Closing Night Gala Awards Ceremony on March 15. Apart from the official competition screenings, the Festival will showcase special screenings of recent and past highly acclaimed Asian films and present exclusive Q&A panels with the filmmakers and cast of selected screenings. In addition, AWFF will host a series of expert panels on topical film-related subjects, including how the COVID pandemic has affected film production and the industry in general.

Due to the current challenging circumstances within the film industry, AWFF has been strengthening its online presence and since last summer has presented a number of screening programs, Q&A panels and special events. This included a Bruce Lee Tribute Weekend, to commemorate what would have been his 80th birth anniversary, with screenings of a number of his films and a live Q&A panel with daughter Shannon Lee and guests. Chamchoum continued, "We are excited to confirm that acclaimed, award-winning actress and AWFF Board Member Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels, Kill Bill, Chicago) will be moderating one of our upcoming Q&A panels, talking with Peter Ho-Sun Chan, the award-winning director of Chinese Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film, Leap."

For the second year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and the Asian World Film Festival will present a special HFPA Scholarship to a new Asian filmmaker. Twelve specially selected Asian short films produced and/or directed by an Asian filmmaker, will be screened during the AWFF's short film program and the winner chosen by an independent Jury.

Managing Director Asel Sherniyazova said, "We truly appreciate and are honored to have the opportunity to discover young, talented filmmakers throughout Asia. HFPA support means support of Asian Cinema in general, which is instrumental in helping to generate exposure for foreign language features and shorts, particularly for lesser-known Asian countries. This makes the HFPA a truly global platform! We are extremely grateful to the HFPA for their continued support of the Festival and we look forward to future collaboration opportunities."

Sponsors and partners of the Festival include Aitysh USA, SPRK Music, Korean Cultural Center (KCC, LA), Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), AKIpress, Asia Society Southern California, City of Culver City, Snow Leopard Trust Foundation, Asiania, Argentum Studios, Novartizan, Moredii, Asians in LA, Emporium Thai LA and Gaby's Mediterranean LA.

Photo Credit: AWFF, Victor Demarchelier

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