From Thai crime story The Stone to unnerving Japanese horror movie Dollhouse: FEFF 27 goes pitch black!
The Taiwanese gangsters of Gatao: Like Father Like Son, the Thai scammers of The Stone, the Japanese jumpscares of Dollhouse and the evil spirits (once again from Thailand) of Death Whisperer 2. Without forgetting, of course, the first two titles from the eagerly-anticipated retrospective Yokai and Other Monsters: From Asian Folklore to Cinema - an unmissable double-bill from the Philippines of The Woman in Unit 23B and Shake, Rattle & Roll - and the first afternoon appointment with Giulia Pompili and Francesco Radicioni's Bambù Talks, Scam Cities: Southeast Asia is the Silicon Valley of Crime. Today (the 26th of April) the FEFF goes jet black, and hurtles full speed into the landscapes of crime and horror!
While there's certainly no lack of pure drama, as demonstrated by My Friend An Delie and the Lynch-esque Teki Kometh (a winner at the last Tokyo International Film Festival), the revelation of this third day drags us back once again into the world of crime: we're talking about The Stone, the incredible debut of directors Arak Amornsupasiri and Vuthipong Sukhanind (who will be on stage at the FEFF with producers Surawut Tungkarak and Paween Puruitpanya). A tale of blood, bullets and... amulets. Yes, amulets, which the Thais believe bring good luck and protection. This makes them more precious than gold or diamonds, and that's why the market for them is dominated by violent power struggles.
Together with nine other films, The Stone will be in the running for the White Mulberry, the award dedicated to debut films, whose winner will be chosen by three international judges: Kim Yutani (programmer of the Sundance Film Festival), Sakoda Shinji (international film representative) and, to the delight of her fans, Japanese celebrity Megumi
All the third day, minute by minute!
09:00 – News from Asia The daily press review by Giulia Pompili and Francesco Radicioni.
09:00 GATAO: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON Directed by Yao Hung-i, Ray Jiang (Taiwan, 2024) Gangsters and aspiring gangsters in a no-holds-barred war.
10:45 FEFF TALKS This morning's first in-depth analysis, moderated by Maria Ruggieri, will be dedicated to Chinese cinema. The second, moderated by Don Jaucian, will instead be dedicated to Philippine cinema and will feature as a guest superdiva Maris Racal.
11:30 THE STONE Directed by Arak Amornsupasiri, Vuthipong Sukhanindr (Thailand, 2025) A young man in dire financial straits decides to sell his father’s “Phra Somdej,” known as 'the king of amulets'. Unaware of its true value, he enters the lucrative and dangerous world of amulets, where merchants and criminals wage fierce war.
14:00 - Visionario THE WOMAN IN UNIT 23B Directed by Prime Cruz (Philippines, 2016) Jewel isn't a cold-blooded murderer: she's a “manananggal”, a vampire-like creature whose body splits in half and sprouts batwings...
14:30 MY FRIEND AN DELIE Directed by Dong Zijian (China, 2024) Caught in a snowstorm, two men travel together through the wilds, and memories of their old friendship start to resurface.
15:50 - Visionario SHAKE, RATTLE & ROLL Directed by Emmanuel Borlaza, Ishmael Bernal, Peque Gallaga (Philippines, 1984) One of the cornerstones of Filipino horror, the forefather of a new generation of anthology films.
16:40 TEKI COMETH Directed by Yoshida Daihachi (Japan, 2024) Shot in decidedly Lynch-esque black and white, what begins as a sober portrait of the protagonist turns into a disturbing but terribly funny puzzle.
17:45 BAMBÙ TALKS Giulia Pompili and Francesco Radicioni address the topic Scam Cities: Southeast Asia is the Silicon Valley of Crime. Journalist Priscilla Ruggiero, author of the documentary Colpo di lusso in Burma, and reporter-essayist Emanuele Giordana will be participating.
18:10 - Visionario BONA Directed by Lino Brocka (Philippines 1980/Restored 2024) A lost, and now retrieved, masterpiece of Philippine neorealism.
19:20 LOVE IN THE BIG CITY Directed by E.oni (South Korea, 2024) A contemporary love story about two outcasts and best friends trying to figure out who they are while chasing true love.
20:10 - Visionario THE SINKING OF THE LISBON MARU Directed by Fang Li (China, 2024) The Lisbon Maru was a Japanese ship that in 1942 was carrying over 1,800 British prisoners of war from Hong Kong to Japan during World War II. Until she was hit by an American torpedo in an archipelago of eastern China…
21:40 DOLLHOUSE Directed by Yaguchi Shinobu (Japan, 2025) If you're afraid of dolls, this is not the movie for you! 5-year-old Mei disappears without a trace. One day, her mother finds a doll at a flea market that reminds her of her missing daughter and helps her cope with the pain of her loss. But when she becomes pregnant again, the doll begins to reveal its true nature.
21:30 DEATH WHISPERER 2 Directed by Taweewat Wantha (Thailand, 2024) Sequel to horror film Death Whisperer, which premiered at FEFF 26, Death Whisperer 2 picks up the story three years after the first left off. It was the highest grossing film of 2024 in Thailand.