Running until March 18 at London’s Prince Charles Cinema, Asia House and Ciné Lumière, the fourth Pan-Asia Film Festival starts tonight with the world premiere of Himalayan ice hockey flick One More…, followed by a Q&A with director Shivajee Chandrabhushan (who won international acclaim for his 2007 debut Frozen, similarly shot in the remote Ladakh region).
The continent-wide showcase also boasts UK premieres for, among others, Mother’s Paradise, a harsh yet humorous adventure set in rural Kazakhstan, scripted by exiled Iranian great Mohsen Makhmalbaf; Golden Bear-nominated South Korean drama Come Rain, Come Shine; and Wang Xiaoshuai’s coming of age amid the Cultural Revolution tale 11 Flowers, accompanied by a discussion with its young star Wang Jinchun.
Further highlights include the dreamlike cinematography of Tibetan road movie The Sun-Beaten Path (pictured) and Japanese auteur Naomi Kawase’s project 3.11 A Sense Of Home, which pays homage to the victims of the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami via a series of films lasting 3 minutes 11 seconds each. The complete schedule can be found at Asia House’s website. Check back here in two weeks for a Quietus festival report…
