Special Screening - Where the Mountain Women Sing w/ Q&A (Hong Kong, US, Taiwan, Short) / If Only I Could Hibernate (Mongolia, Feature)
1) Where the Mountain Women Sing (Short)
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/919090066/60273ce605(opens in a new tab)
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, US, Taiwan
Year: 2024
Duration: 15 min
Director: Juefang Zhang
Language(s): Mandarin
Subtitles: English
Producer: Kathleen I-Ying Lee, Chen Li
Principal Cast: Chuqing Wang, Yiming Wang, Qing Xue, Jimmy Zhi, Jason Zheng
Q&A w/ Dir. Juefang Zhang
Synopsis
In a secluded snow village in Northeast China, villagers are preparing an ancient shamanic ritual. Arum, the village's respected elderly shaman, is set to choose her successor.
Tianqing, a newly graduated film director, and Jian, a seasoned cinematographer, seek to film this rare cultural gem, hoping to win an Oscar. However Liu doesn’t respect Tianqing as a director and tries to make a move on her. One night, Liu sneaks into Arum's private quarters, crossing a line that deeply unsettles Tianqing. His actions culminate in an assault on Tianqing, threatening to destroy their footage unless she complies.
Jian’s unauthorized filming of Arum precipitates leads him to a dark path. It turns out the matriarchal village transforms disrespectful men into reproduction tools. Faced with a moral dilemma, Tianqing has to make a decision.
2) If Only I Could Hibernate (Feature)
Genre: Drama
Country: Mongolia, France, Switzerland, Qatar
Year: 2023
Duration: 99 mins
Director: Zoljargal Purevdash
Language(s): Mongolian
Subtitles: English
Producer: Zoljargal Purevdash, Frédéric Corvez, Maéva Savinien
Principal Cast: Battsooj Uurtsaikh, Nominjiguur Tsend, Tuguldur Batsaikhan, Taivanbat Alexandar, Batmandakh Batchuluun, Ganchimeg Sandagdorj, Batsaikhan Battulga
Synopsis
A poor but prideful teenager, Ulzii, lives in the yurt area of Ulaanbaatar with his family. He is a physics genius and is determined to win a science competition to earn a scholarship. When his mother finds a job in the countryside, she leaves him and his younger siblings to face a harsh winter by themselves. Ulzii will have to take a risky job to look after them all and keep his home heated.
Date
Video
Asian World Film Festival
The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF), founded by Kyrgyz public figure Sadyk Sher-Niyaz and overseen by Executive & Program Director Georges N. Chamchoum, brings the very best of a broad selection of Asian World cinema to Los Angeles to draw greater recognition to the region's wealth of filmmakers and strengthen ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries. Uniting through cross-cultural collaboration, the Festival champions films from over 50 countries across Asia, spanning from Turkey to Japan and from Russia to India and South-East Asia. The Festival is unique in that it predominantly screens Oscar and Golden Globe submissions for Best International Feature Film and Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language respectively. All films that participate in the Festival will have a unique chance to be guided through the challenging awards season and showcased to members of the Motion Picture Academy, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and all Guilds for enhanced exposure, media attention and awards consideration. AWFF is a non-profit organization under Aitysh USA.