Japanese film ‘Looking for Anne’ Wins Top Prize at Asian First Film Festival

THE Asian Festival of First Films (AFFF), the world's premier film and documentary festival that celebreates the achievements of first-time film-makers, announced its winners last Friday at the Raffles Hotel Ballroom.

Japanese film Looking For Anne, directed by Takako Miyahira, took the top honours of Best Film and Best Director, the AFFF said in its press release.

The movie tells the story of a 17-year-old Japanese girl with a secret mission to find her recently deceased grandmother's first love.

First-time producer Sona Jain bagged four awards - including Best Producer - for her film, For Real, a story about a family seen through the eyes of a child.

Last Friday's event was the fifth instalment of the AFFF.

It was attended by the movers and shakers of the film industry, such as American producer Chris Lee, the executive producer of Valkyrie (2008) and the upcoming Superman: Man of Steel (2011); Mr Malcolm Young, managing director of NYU Tisch Asia School of the Arts; and Mr Wolfgang Muench, dean of the faculty of media arts at Lasalle College of the Arts Singapore.

The festival's winners were chosen by a panel of international judges including Mr Lee, as well as award-winning filmmakers and internationally acclaimed producers such as Ana Kokkinos (Australia) and Kabir Khan (India), the winner of the Best Director award in 2007.

Supported by the Media Development Authority (MDA), the AFFF is a part of the annual Asia Media Festival.

"The AFFF has once again shone the spotlight on budding film talent in Asia, with a body of work that reflects the heart and soul of Asia," said Ms Cassandra Tay, MDA's director of communications and community and international relations.

"In this light, every nominee is a winner. I am confident that the AFFF will continue to bring to the fore promising talents with quality films that resonate with an international audience," she said.

The AFFF aims to help Asian film-makers garner commercial interest and funding, and to discover and encourage budding talent in Asia.

This year's competition saw a total of 700 entries from 28 countries, the press release said.

A total of 22 nominated films and documentaries vied for 11 awards.

(Source:Asiaone)