Japanese drama Fujiko has won the Golden Mulberry for best film at the Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine, Italy.
Directed by Kimura Taichi and produced by Megumi, the story is set in Shizuoka during the 1970s and ’80s and follows a single mother’s pursuit for freedom amid the social upheaval of the time. It received its world premiere at FEFF ahead of a German premiere as the opening film of Nippon Connection in June. It will open in Japan on June 5 and SC Films has sales rights.
Scroll down for full list of winners
FEFF’s top awards are decided by a public vote and saw the Silver Mulberry go to The Seoul Guardians, a South Korean documentary about the chaotic night of December 3, 2024 when martial law was declared in the country. It was the first-ever documentary to be selected for FEFF’s competition section.
The Crystal Mulberry was shared by four titles: Yuen Woo-ping’s martial arts epic Blades Of The Guardians; Chung Ji-young’s My Name, which premiered at the Berlinale; Bui Thac Chuyen’s Vietnam war feature Tunnels: Sun In The Dark; and South Korean blockbuster The King’s Warden from director Chang Hang-jun.
Fujiko and The Seoul Guardians both scooped second trophies on the nights, each winning the Black Dragon critics prize.
Winners of the White Mulberry for best first-time director were Hong Kong’s Kwok Ka-hei and Jack Lee for Unidentified Murder with a special mention for Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan and Cho Chul-young for The Seoul Guardians.
Tunnels: Sun In The Dark also picked up a second prize, winning the Mulberry Award for best screenplay, for which Singapore’s We Are All Strangers received a special mention.
FEFF titles accumulated more than 7,000 hours of streaming on digital platform MYmovies ONE, the most popular of which was Japan’s 5 Centimeters Per Second by Okuyama Yoshiyuki, to which the MYmovies community awarded the Purple Mulberry prize.
As previously announced, Japanese actor Koji Yakusho and filmmaker Yuen Woo-ping were each honoured with the Golden Mulberry Award for Lifetime Achievement, and Chinese star Fan Bingbing received the Golden Mulberry Award for Outstanding Achievement.
FEFF organisers said that the 28th edition recorded 70,000 spectators, more than 3,000 guests and 2,000 accreditations. Some 75 films from 12 countries were screened, which included eight world premieres and 18 international premieres.
More than 250 industry professionals attended the Focus Asia industry platform, which saw China-US project Naked In Glendale win the White Light Award and Malaysia-Singapore title Somewhere In The South claim the TAICCA Award.
The 29th edition of FEFF is set to run April 23 to May 1, 2027.
Far East Film Festival Awards 2025
Golden Mulberry: Fujiko (Japan)
Silver Mulberry: The Seoul Guardians (S Kor)
Crystal Mulberry: Blades Of The Guardians (China) / My Name (S Kor) / Tunnels: Sun In The Dark (Viet) / The King’s Warden (S Kor)
Black Dragon Audience Award: The Seoul Guardians (S Kor) / Fujiko (Japan)
White Mulberry Award (first time director): Kwok Ka-hei, Jack Lee, Unidentified Murder (HK)
White Mulberry Award (first time director) special mention: Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan, Cho Chul-young, The Seoul Guardians
Mulberry Award (best screenplay): Tunnels: Sun In The Dark (Viet)
Mulberry Award (best screenplay) special mention: We Are All Strangers (Sing)
MYmovies Purple Mulberry Award: 5 Centimeters Per Second (Japan)
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