Zhang Lu’s YANAGAWA to Open Annual Asian Film Celebration in Japan

The Girl on a Bulldozer (2021) 

Nine Korean films have been invited to screen at this year’s 17th edition of the Osaka Asian Film Festival. Two of them, Hong Sungeun’s Aloners (2021) and Park Riwoong’s The Girl on a Bulldozer (2021), will take part in the event’s competition section.

Zhang Lu’s YANAGAWA, a co-production between China, Japan and Korea, is also set as this year’s opening film in Osaka. The film was shot in China and Japan. Zhang’s recent works include Gyeongju (2014), A Quiet Dream (2016) and Fukuoka (2020). 

Aloners debuted at the Jeonju International Film Festival last year and has earned several invitations to major international film festivals as well as earned several prizes for its lead actress Gong Seungyeon. The Girl on a Bulldozer, featuring popular young actress Kim Hyeyoon, had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival last October.

Featuring in the ‘Spotlight’ section will be Yun Gahyun's documentary Boundary: Flaming Feminist Action (2021). Also screening in the section will be the short films Vacation Event by Choi Minyoung and Lee Hyeonju's A Winter Glove, as well as Zhao Danyang's An Excessive Day, co-produced by China and Korea.

Featuring in the ‘Special Screenings’ lineup will be Hong Sangsoo's In Front of Your Face (2021), which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last summer.

Including in Osaka’s Theater ONE online program, which features works screened at previous editions of the festival, will be Natsuto Aimi's Jeux de Plage, a co-production between Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea.

This year’s Osaka Asian Film Festival opens online on March 3, and the offline event will kick off on March 10 and run until the 20th.