The Great Dreamer will be receiving the Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement Award from superstar Tony Leung Ka-Fai. After the ceremony it's time for the director's latest blockbuster: Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants.
Besides being some of the most legendary names in the world of Asian cinema, what do Jackie Chan, Joe Hisaishi, Takeshi Kitano, Zhang Yimou, Nansun Shi, Baisho Chieko, Brigitte Lin and Anthony Wong have in common? What they have in common is Udine. What they have in common is the Far East Film Festival. What they have in common is the Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement, the Far East Film Festival's highest award. And today (30 April) another absolute giant will be receiving the Golden Mulberry on the stage of the Teatro Nuovo “Giovanni da Udine” theatre: tireless creator of wonders Tsui Hark! Tsui Hark, the Great Dreamer! Over the decades, the paths of the FEFF and Tsui Hark have often crossed – for example at the explosive 2015 Closing Night with The Taking of Tiger Mountain – but the programme of the twenty-seventh edition has created the ideal opportunity and the perfect storm by bringing together three truly priceless movies on the big screen: not only his latest blockbuster, mega-fantasy Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (which will be screening right after the awards ceremony), but also the restored version of his masterpiece Shanghai Blues and his cult movie Green Snake for the retrospective Yōkai and Other Monsters
Queen Sylvia Chang, unforgettable protagonist of Shanghai Blues, will be receiving the Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement award tomorrow (1 May) and King Tsui Hark will be receiving it tonight from the hands of Chinese-Hong Kong legend Tony Leung Ka-Fai, one of the stars of Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants. One giant publicly crowning another. A Great Dreamer, as we said before, capable of rewriting the rules of entertainment (do we really need to mention the legendary Once Upon a Time in China saga?!) and the rules of the mainstream industry for over forty years. A director, an actor, a producer and an experimenter who has always made a difference, and who always will. Because, as he himself says, "cinema is a form of freedom."
All the seventh day, minute by minute!
09:00 – News from Asia The daily press review by Giulia Pompili and Francesco Radicioni.
09:00 CLASH Directed by Jiang Jiachen (China, 2024) A group of unlikely American football players in a sparkling David-versus-Goliath sports comedy
10:30 FEFF TALKS This morning's talks look at Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese cinema.
11:20 LAST SONG FOR YOU Directed by Jill Leung (Hong Kong, 2024) Romanticism, music and nostalgia in screenwriter Jill Leung's debut behind the camera
14:00 - Visionario PONTIANAK - SCENT OF THE TUBER ROSE Directed by Shuhaimi Baba (Malaysia, 2004)
14:30 ABOUT FAMILY Directed by Yang Woo-seok (South Korea, 2024) The only thing successful restaurateur Mu-ok is missing is grandchildren. But it looks like a lost cause, because his only son has become a Buddhist monk…
16:10 - Visionario INHUMAN KISS: THE LAST BREATH Directed by Paphangkorn Punchantarak (Thailand, 2023)
16:35 MONTAGES OF A MODERN MOTHERHOOD Directed by Oliver Chan (Hong Kong, 2024) A series of shockingly realistic scenes inspired by the director's experience and the stories of other women. An intimate and necessary film
17:45 BAMBÙ TALKS Giulia Pompili and Francesco Radicioni discuss Korea and Japan: Political Crisis among America's Allies in Asia with researcher and academic Francesca Frassineti (via video-link) and Giulio Pugliese from the Istituto Affari Internazionali.
18:35 - Visionario GOODBYE! DARLING Directed by Pai Ching-jui (Taiwan, 1970/Restored 2024)
19:00 LEGENDS OF THE CONDOR HEROES: THE GALLANTS Directed by Tsui Hark (China, 2025) The ferocious Mongol army led by Genghis Khan wants to destroy the Jin and Song dynasties. Masters of the various martial arts schools of the central plains of China join forces to defend the city of Xiangyang. A classic Chinese epic that, in the hands of master Tsui Hark, becomes a breathtaking wuxia - a flaming and unbridled triumph of fantasy
20:30 - Visionario SUZZANNA: THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC Directed by David Gregory (USA, 2024) The life and legacy of Suzzanna, Indonesia’s most iconic horror actress. A legend known for her chilling performances and deep links with folklore
21:50 DIRTY MONEY Directed by Kim Min-soo (South Korea, 2024) Two bent cops steal money from the wrong person: looks like their perfect plan isn't so perfect after all…
23:50 MAD OF MADNESS Directed by Eden Junjung (Indonesia, 2025) Greed breeds monsters: that's the powerful concept behind this horror movie where the class war is fought on the battlefield of the paranormal