Tokyo Int'l Film Festival closes, Chinese films shine in Asian section

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The 31st Tokyo International Film Festival closed Saturday with the top prize going to a romantic work by French director, while Chinese films shine in the Asian Future section.

A total of 16 works from around the world competed in the main section of the festival, and "Amanda" by French director Mikhael Hers won the 50,000-US dollar Tokyo Grand Prix.

The film, telling a story of a free-spirited youth and his orphaned niece struggling to cope with sudden tragedy in the city of Paris, touches issues of terror and adolescent problems.

Chinese film "A First Farewell" directed by Lina Wang won the Best Asian Future Award in the Asian Future section, while "Wushu Orphan" was awarded the Spirit of Asia Award by the Japan Foundation Asia Center.

The film "A First Farewell" portrays a Xinjiang farm boy's relationship with his deaf-mute mother, his friendship with his sweetheart girl, and his parting from them.

The "Wushu Orphan" is a high school martial arts drama directed by young director Huang Huang, telling a story of a new teacher who tried to find the best way to deal with students from a martial arts school.

Huang Huang (R), Chinese director of film "Wushu Orphan", receives the Spirit of Asia Award from the Japan Foundation Asia Center during the Tokyo International Film Festival in Tokyo, Japan, November 2, 2018. /Xinhua News Agency Photo

The Special Jury Prize went to Denmark film "Before the Frost," which depicts the efforts of a poverty-stricken farmer in 19th-century Denmark to give his daughter a better life by marrying her off to a wealthy landowner. But his intentions are undermined by cruel fate.

Edoardo De Angelis from Italy won the Best Director Award for his film "The Vice of Hope," and the Best Actress Award went to its leading actress Pina Turco.

The Tokyo International Film Festival started in 1985 as Japan's first major film festival. During the 10-day event this year, over 180 films were screened at theaters in the Roppongi Hills and other areas in Tokyo.

(Cover: Chinese director Wang Lina (R) of film "A First Farewell" receives the Best Asian Future Award during the Tokyo International Film Festival in Tokyo, Japan, on November 2, 2018. /Xinhua News Agency Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency