The beloved Japanese actor will receive the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award, a prestigious prize that over the years has created a veritable "roll of honour" for Asian cinema
Without a shadow of a doubt, the second day of FEFF 28 is "Yakusho-Wenders Day." On Saturday the 25th of April, the beloved Japanese actor will receive the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award, a prestigious prize that has created a veritable "roll of honour" for Asian cinema. And Wim Wenders himself will be here to present it to him. Two legends of world cinema, one from the West and one from the East, meeting on the stage of the Teatro Nuovo in Udine. And the film that follows is the one that marked the cinematic coming together of these two greats in 2023: Perfect Days. In the director's constant search for the pure image—the one that makes sense in the chaotic flux of today's world—there's always been a bond between Japan and Wim Wenders (just think of Tokyo-ga). Like some cinematic haiku, Perfect Days is a film of absolute purity which recounts the "all-the-same" days of a quiet and kindly Tokyo public toilet cleaner, an unforgettable performance by Yakusho Koji.
Among the other films of the day, one that deserves special mention is what we might call the festival's discovery: Singaporean film Ah Girl, the debut feature by acclaimed short filmmaker Ang Geck Geck Priscilla, which follows the daily life of a little girl as her family falls apart. An intimate and gripping journey seen through the eyes of a child who is trying to understand what's happening to her life. Meanwhile, a love that fails to materialize across three different ages, moving from adolescent dreams to adulthood, is the subject of Japanese film 5 Centimeters Per Second, which is also interesting for being the live-action version of a famous anime (cartoon) by Makoto Shinkai. From love we move to the drama of life: in Hong Kong film We're Nothing at All by Herman Yau (a regular at the Festival), the investigation into the inexplicable bombing of a bus develops into a dramatic portrait of life in Hong Kong. And these are just four of the day's 12 films which, alongside new releases, include a series of magnificent restored versions at the Visionario, with Patrick Tam's astonishing Love Massacre, a masterpiece of the Hong Kong New Wave, and some of Yakusho Koji's wonderful films from the retrospective which the FEFF is dedicating to the actor.
PROGRAMME
9.00
THE SNOWBALL ON A SUNNY DAY
directed by Philip Yung
(Hong Kong, 2026)
Everyone dreams of winning the lottery, but Sunnie didn't play the ticket with the winning numbers her grandmother gave her. Now what? She'll just have to pretend!
11.20
AH GIRL
directed by Ang Geck Geck Priscilla
(Singapore, 2026)
A seven-year-old girl is faced with a very difficult task: to try and understand her parents' separation.
12.15 – VISIONARIO
TAMPOPO
directed by Juzo Itami
(Japan, 1985/restored 4K 2022)
A Western-vibed adventure about the search for the finest ramen recipe in a film that is an absolute celebration of food.
14.00
5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND
directed by Okuyama Yoshiyuki
(Japan, 2025)
The (almost) love story between Takaki and Akari unfolds between childhood, adolescence and maturity in this live-action version of Makoto Shinkai's anime.
14.25 - VISIONARIO
IN THE WINK OF AN EYE
directed by Mike De Leon
(Philippines 1981/restored 4K 2023)
A terrifying and shocking film that starts as a brilliant true crime story and ends up capturing a dark period of Philippine history.
16.15
WE’RE NOTHING AT ALL
directed by Herman Yau
(Hong Kong, 2026)
When a bus is blown up on Valentine's Day, the subsequent investigation masterfully interweaves genre cinema and social consciousness.
16.35 – VISIONARIO
THE EEL
directed by Imamura Shohei
(Japan, 1997)
Yakusho Koji plays an ex-con who, after finishing a sentence for murder, opens a barber shop in a remote village and comes to terms with his past in this mysterious and touching film.
19.00
PERFECT DAYS
directed by Wim Wenders
(Germany/Japan, 2023)
The “all the same” days of a silent and kindly man responsible for cleaning the public toilets of Tokyo, splendidly played by Yakusho Koji.
19.40 – VISIONARIO
LOVE MASSACRE
directed by Patrick Tam
(Hong Kong 1981/restored 4K 2025)
A story of love, madness and crime set in an unrealistic, dreamlike San Francisco. Patrick Tam creates a stunning avant-garde work about colour.
21.30 – VISIONARIO
13 ASSASSINS
directed by Miike Takashi
(Japan, 2010)
With star Yakusho Koji, Miike reinvents the jidaigeki (samurai film) with his trademark baroque extremism and cruelty, but also with moments of devastating beauty.
21.40
GHOST IN THE CELL
directed by Joko Anwar
(Indonesia, 2026)
A cocktail of bleak horror, black humour and malignant aestheticism in a horror film set in an Indonesian prison haunted by a vengeful spirit.
23.40
THA RAE: THE EXORCIST
directed by Taweewat Wantha
(Thailand, 2025)
Two Catholic priests and a spirit-cult shaman are forced to join forces to tackle a case of demonic possession in rural Thailand.
INCONTRI FEFF / FEFF TALKS – Sala Fantoni, Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine theatre
11:00 - 11:45
Singapore Cinema
YEO Yann Yann, actress We Are All Strangers
Anthony CHEN, director, We Are All Strangers
Coordinamento/Moderator: June KIM
11:50 - 12:35
Taiwan Cinema
Giddens KO, director, Kung Fu
Kai KO, actor, Kung Fu and I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish
Coordinamento/Moderator: Kevin MA
EVENTS – events.fareastfilm.com
09:30 – 13:30
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day 2025
By associazione tecniche arti orientali
Parco Moretti, Via Mentana (Udine)
10:00 – 11:30
Create Your Own Pokémon!
By Fabio Rodaro
FEFF VILLAGE at the Giardino Loris Fortuna park, Piazza I Maggio
10:00 – 13:00
Individual Gong Bath Sessions
By holistic practitioner Marina Forte
FEFF VILLAGE at the Giardino Loris Fortuna park, Piazza I Maggio
10:00 – 17:00
Tui Na Massage
By Tao Academy
Fondazione Friuli, Via Gemona
15:00 – 17:00
Create Your Own Zen Garden
By August Garden
Fondazione Friuli, Via Gemona
15:00 – 16:00
The Way of Metal: Japanese Histories and Myths
By Giovanna Coen
Fondazione Friuli, Via Gemona :
18:00 – 22:00
#1 Block Party
Love Street Food, Piazza I Maggio, 33100 Udine
In collaboration with Udine Cocktail Week
18:00
Photography Exhibition: 途 (tú)
By Elena Volpato, curated by Suzanne van der Borg
Libreria Tarantola bookshop, Via Vittorio Veneto, 20, 33100 Udine