Posted on : Jul.12,2006 09:58 KST

Film festival seeks to find out

By Darcy Paquet, Variety Magazine

Asia has film festivals, such as those located in Pusan, Hong Kong, or Tokyo, which place a special focus on Asian cinema. But one thing Asia does not have is a widely-watched, region-wide awards ceremony for commercial films--something like South Korea’s Grand Bell Awards, but for all of Asia. Imagine Moon So-ri facing off against Zhang Ziyi and Aishwarya Rai for Best Actress. Bong Joon-ho, Johnnie To, and Kitano Takeshi might compete for Best Director. Wouldn’t that be more fun than watching the Oscars?

Asia may never have an event that really functions in the same way, but this October it will get an approximation of sorts in the first MTV Asia Movie Awards. To be held in Singapore--an appropriate location, given the city’s cosmopolitan attitude--the event will be star-studded and broadcast across Asia. It is not a traditional awards ceremony, however; instead of Best Film or Best Actor, there are six genre categories that will recognize the best horror film, best drama, best action film, etc. from the previous year. An additional six "fun categories" will recognize the best kiss scene, best action scene, hottest male and female actor, etc, but unlike the genre categories, these will be open to both international and Asian cinema. Right now they are in the process of choosing nominations (I am one of the people they have consulted for suggestions).


It will be interesting to see the result of this attempt to bring Asia’s film industry together, even if it is being organized by a U.S.-founded global media firm that has its own interests to consider. But it will also be an opportune time to ask what some might consider a rude question: does such a thing as "Asian cinema" really exist?

Of course there are many excellent Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Philippine, and Indian films made each year, to name only the major film-producing countries in the region, but our decision to call them "Asian" should imply more than that they were made on the same continent. One might argue about "common Asian cultural values" that bind the films together, but more important, I think, is whether these films are actually watched and experienced by people across Asia. To what extent is there an actual interaction between film cultures, and to what extent is it simply imagined?

There are a few Asian films made each year that receive wide exposure across the continent, such as The Promise or Kung Fu Hustle. Korean films also attract a medium amount of attention, although probably no film in the past five years has been able to duplicate the region-wide fame of My Sassy Girl. Some locales in the region, such as Singapore or Hong Kong, seem to be more tuned in to the film output of their neighbors than others. Nonetheless, there will probably be few people in Asia who have seen all the nominations for best Asian horror film or comedy in a given year. With that the case, does it even make sense to hold such an awards ceremony?

I would argue that it does, if nothing else because it could help to create a bit more regional consciousness about Asian cinema. If the ceremony draws a large audience, it will introduce new films to a wider viewership. Those awards that are given out could prove to be a valuable marketing tool for a film’s overseas release.

Personally, I love viewing the films Nana and Family Ties and Isabella as part of a greater whole. They present issues, attitudes, and styles that may resonate more strongly with young people in Asia than in Europe or North America. The idea of a cohesive Asian film community may be a fiction, but perhaps it can be pushed a little closer to reality.



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