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Monday, 16th March 2015
In Japan Entertainment News,
Taiwanese film dominates Osaka Asian Film Festival
Yesterday (March 15th) saw Taiwanese movie Meeting Dr Sun win both the Best Picture and Audience Awards at the 10th Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF).
Directed by Yee Chih-yen, the film tells the tale of a high-school student in the poorest parts of Taipei trying to raise money, and when he resorts to desperate measures of stealing the Dr Sun Tay-sen statue abandoned at his school, mayhem ensues. The student and his friends encounter trouble when they run into a rival out to claim the statue for themselves.
Jury president and Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung revealed that the film had been picked by the panel due to the fantastic performances from the young cast, and the expressive script that looks at daily live in Taiwanese society. The film also won the Best Original Screenplay Award at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival last year.
Receiving the award in Osaka, Chih-yen said: "The honour means I and my team will have to keep working hard and keep cheering for Taiwan's movie industry."
Other winners included the 'most promising talent' that went to Thai director Mez Tharatorn for romantic-comedy I'm Fine...Thank You...Love You, while a special mention also went to Hong Kong actress Charlene Choi for her role as a journalist in Herman Yau's Sara. The Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Award for Most Entertaining Film, meanwhile, went to Chinese entry The Continent from director Han Han.
The OAFF presents Asian films that have not yet premiered in Japan, and apart from the major 12-film competition, there are also sections dedicated to Hong Kong cinema, action films from south-east Asia and movies marking the fourth anniversary of the March 11th earthquake in northern Japan.
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