PRAMANA ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
EDITION 2023
THE REPORT
The second edition of Pramana Asian Film Festival took place in Reggio Calabria from 5 to 7 April 2023 at the CineTeatro Metropolitano. All events were with free admission.
During three days we screened 12 short films and 3 independent feature films from the Asian continent, with the aim of spreading its cultural richness through the language of cinema.
We received a very positive response from the public, who filled the room showing curiosity, interest and desire to get involved.
We wanted to offer a program that could entertain and challenge at the same time, with the idea of exploring distant cultures and letting ourselves be carried away by dreams, challenges and the voices of those who told them.
We were happy to host for the first time two directors, Yamini Deen and Christoph Schaefer, authors of the documentary Delhi Dreams, who met the audience and told about their incredible experience with the Kaputhli community.
This process has allowed us to connect even more deeply with the city of Reggio and our community.
THE PROGRAM
For the second edition of Pramana Asian Film Festiva, we selected 15 films, from China, Korea, Japan, India, Lebanon, Singapore, and Thailand.
The programming team chose the films based on their originality, quality, and ability to show and tell a relevant aspect of their culture.
In the selection we tried to represent different genres, including animation, documentary, dramatic stories and comedies.
The themes that emerged were diverse and varied, although a recurring theme was that of marginalization: social, economic, climate. Almost all the protagonists of the films we chose live on the margins of their context, observing a changing world that often proves merciless toward them.
We have selected three feature films from India to close each day of the festival, with three independent works from three different languages, regions and film industries: Malayalam, Bengali and Hindi.
Each title represents a different genre (documentary, sci-fi mockumentary and fiction) allowing us to show the quality of Indian cinema outside of Bollywood. With different languages and styles, the three films Delhi Dream, Gaganachari, and The Man and the Cloud chronicle the conditions in India and two of its most important cities (Delhi and Kolkata), social and climatic changes, struggles to fight gentrification, and the will to not just survive, but to really live.
THE WINNERS OF THE SECOND EDITION
The jury of the festival, composed of the Reggio-based collective Cinezone, awarded the prizes for the Best Asian Short Film and the Best Asian Feature Film.
The two winning films will receive a terracotta trophy specially made by the Reggio artist Nicola Tripodi, who creates unique works inspired by the symbols and traditions of our territory.
Viewers also voted for the Audience Award, awarding recognition to the film that most moved and impressed the audience.
THE AWARDED FILMS:
AUDIENCE AWARD
ANSHAN DIARIES
by Charles Xiuzhi Dong | China | 28′
JURY AWARDS
BEST SHORT: FAREWELL TO MYSELF
by Shixiong Luo | China | 16′
“for its attention to detail, narrative pacing, and ability to portray deep pain while managing to leave room for gentleness.”
BEST FEATURE: GAGANACHARI
by Arun Chandu | India | 116′
“for its ability to address current and crucial issues such as ecology and global warming, distribution of wealth and acceptance of diversity in a light-hearted but not superficial way.”
SPECIAL MENTION: A DOG UNDER A BRIDGE
by Rehoo Tang | China | 12′
“for the animation technique and the ability to portray the violence that man unleashes on himself and his surroundings.”
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2023
A DOG UNDER A BRIDGE
Director: Rehoo Tang
China | 2022 | 12′
Language: Chinese
“I am a dog living in the park under a bridge. awooooooo”
A FIRECRACKER STORY
炮仗的故事
Director: Zhizi Hao
China | 2021 | 20′
Language: Chinese
On the Chinese New Year’s Eve, a child seeks fireworks despite the law banishing them.
A GUITAR IN THE BUCKET
버킷
Director: Boyoung Kim
Republic of Korea |2021| 15′
Language: Korean
In a world where you can rent everything from vending machines, a girl wants to be a guitarist.
A PLACE IN BLUE
푸른
Director: Seung-eon Yi
Republic of Korea | 2021| 9′
Language: Korean
A girl is searching for her mother in a grocery store and in a forest. At the end of the forest, she encounters passages from her mother’s life.
ANSHAN DIARIES
Director: Charles Xiuzhi Dong
China | 2022 | 28′
Language: Chinese
Three decades of post-revolution China’s history told through the impact it has had on the lives of an entire family.
BLUE CITY SEOUL
Director: Seong-Jun Jeong
Republic of Korea |2020| 29′
Lingua: Korean
A taxi driver cannot take passengers because his last customer left his guitar in his cab.
DELHI DREAMS
Directors: Yamini Deen, Christof Schaefer
India | 2020| 72′
Language: English, Hindi, Rajasthani
The Kathputli Colony is the largest community of artists, especially puppeteers, in Delhi. But the government’s plan to redevelop the area is threatening the Colony.
FAREWELL TO MYSELF
Director: Shixiong Luo
China | 2022 | 16′
Language: Chinese
A woman has been diagonosed with breast cancer for 20 years and her relationship with her husband has been cold and detached. Things change when he’s diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer.
GAGANACHARI
Director: Arun Chandu
India | 2022| 116′
Lingua: Malayalam
In a dystopic future, three bachelors live in an apocalypse bunker while all around them the earth is convulsed by environmental disasters and a hostile sociopolitical climate.
GREY SOLAR GAME
Director: Seemonta Halder
India | 2021| 19′
Language: Bengali
Three brothers live alone as outcasts struggling every day to survive.
LEMONGRASS GIRL
Director: Pom Bunsermvicha
Thailand | 2021 | 18′
Lingua: Thai
According to Thai superstition, a virgin can ward off rain by planting lemongrass upside down under the open sky.
MIRAI TO FUTURE
探す未来
Director: Erika Nakayama
Japan | 2022| 20′
Language: Japanese
Amid urban renewal, the residents in town have various opinions. A small story that follows her and the town’s future.
MY FAMILY
我的家人
Director: Yan Qiu Foong
Singapore | 2018| 7′
Language: Chinese, English
Locked in the bathroom at home a boy tries to commit suicide while outside his family members fight over their turn.
THE CLOUD & THE MAN
Manikbabur Megh
Director: Abhinandan Banerjee
India | 2021 | 94′
Language: Bengali
In Kolkata, a man lives with his elderly father, leading an “eventless” life. When his father dies, the world around him begins to crumble and change.
WARSHA
Director: Dania Bdeir
Lebanon | 2022| 15′
Language: Arabic
On the highest and most dangerous crane in Lebanon, a worker finally manages to express his secret passion and find his freedom.
CREDITS
ORGANIZATION: Associazione Culturale Pramana
ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Simone Colistra
FILM SELECTION AND PROGRAMMING: Federica Buccheri, Giorgia Megliola, Haejee Park, Simone Colistra
TRANSLATION AND SUBTITLING: Eléonore Chagnard, Francesca Mercadante
COMMUNICATION: Simone Colistra
ILLUSTRATION: Giada Puccinelli
PHOTOGRAPHIES: Federica Buccheri
SOCIAL MEDIA: Matilda Prisco
AWARDS: Nicola Tripodi – Arghillà: L’Arte delle Terre
JURY: Celeste Gullì, Pasquale Massara, Giovanni Palmisano (Collettivo Cinezone)
SPECIAL GUESTS: Yamini Deen, Christoph Schaefer
PARTNERS: La Guarimba, Interzone, Cartoline Club