This film festival screened only Asian films in the beautiful city of Barcelona. The Asian Film Festival Barcelona (AFFBCN) celebrated its sixth edition this year from October 31st to November 11th, 2018.
The weather was perfect and the hotel provided was clean and convenient. It was truly well located if one wished to see Gaudi’s works. Even the walk from the hotel to cinema Girona (it has three screens and most of the shows were held here) was like going into a movie.
The selection included more than a hundred films released this year in more than twenty countries.
This year’s programme was distributed in the following sections: Official, Official Panorama, Discoveries, NETPAC and Special – all in competition. Each had nearly twenty films participating.
The NETPAC Section had 18 films: One each from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Tajikistan, and Vietnam; two each from Cambodia and Thailand, and four from India.
The following films were eligible for the NETPAC prize.
No Bed Of Roses – Bangladesh
Mind Cage – Cambodia
Rachana – Combodia
Ajji – India
A Suitable Girl – India
Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz – India
Tharamani – India
Balada Bala Sinema – Indonesia
Leaf of Life – Iran
A Tiger in Winter – Korea
Night Accident – Kyrgyzstan
Aqerat – Malaysia
Rahm (Mercy) – Pakistan
Nervous Translation – Philippines
Narrow – Tajikistan
Fathers – Thailand
Malila: The Farewell Flower – Thailand
Here Comes the Sun – Vietnam
All the films of NETPAC section were not in other competitions.
The NETPAC juries, Do Kyung Kim (Korea), Qazi Abdur Rahim (Spain), Javier Martín Domínguez (Spain), Chandra Ray (Bhutan) and Haruan Agustriasyah (Indonesia) awarded the NETPAC Prize to A Tiger in Winter directed by Lee Kwang-Kuk (Korea) for the film’s great production values and direction and for the very professional screenplay behind the portrayal of anxiety and disorientation among the new urban generation in Korea.
NETPAC Jury (Harvan Agustriasyah, Indonesia, Javier Martín Domínguez, Spain, Do Kyung Kim, Korea, Chandra Ray, Bhutan, Qazi AbdurRahim, Spain
The films were shown only once in the cinema houses. Had they been shown at least twice if not more often, they would have certainly attracted larger audiences?
— Do Kyung Kim – President – Netpac Jury
— Edited by Latika Padgaonkar