These are the winners of the CinemAsia Film Festival that took place from May 10 – 15, 2022 at Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp, and Rialto Vu in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Jury Award

Following the death of his wife, Santoshi has sunk into depression and debt, much to the consternation of his daughter, high school student Kaede. To ease their debt, Santoshi tells Kaede he will track down a serial killer and collect the reward, but Santoshi disappears and Kaede must find out what happened to him. What appears to be a familiar mystery narrative takes unexpected turns into the depths of human emotion. Having worked as Bong Joon-ho’s assistant director, Shinzo Katayama has learned the art of crafting suspenseful narratives with complex characters. MISSING, his second feature, is a worthy addition to the canon of East Asian thrillers that have captivated audiences worldwide. (CinemAsia 2022)

Remarks:
“Director Shinzo Katayama explores the crime genre from a wholly original perspective, interweaving a grave moral dilemma with a suspenseful crime in a compelling manner. The narrative structure is bold and excels in its ambition, and the ending takes an unexpectedly moving turn. Given that this is a second feature film, we see in the director a very promising future.”

Trailer:

Special Mention

Jina is the top employee at a credit card company call center. She avoids building close relationships, choosing instead to live and work alone. Her solitary lifestyle is interrupted when her neighbor, who often attempts to strike up conversations with her, dies alone in his apartment. From then on, Jina’s walls slowly start to crumble and she is forced to address the relationships she wanted to ignore: her father’s persistent calls about her mother’s inheritance, an intern whom Jina is assigned to train, and a new neighbor. In Hong Sung-eun’s subtle debut feature, the loneliness of living gradually reveals the fabric of life that invisibly weaves us together. (CinemAsia 2022)

Remarks:
“Not only is it a great accomplishment to have us identify with the young woman’s dysfunctional life and emotions, but it is a real feat to also make us experience the existential need for the other, for being part of the social fabric. A welcome reminder in today’s life of selfies and the personalized bubbles of the so-called social media.”

Trailer:

Audience Award

Two families grow up together in the 1980s during the revolutionary reforms in China, but they part ways after the loss of a child in a tragic accident. In the midst of a rapidly changing country, families, friendships, love and fate all appear to be subject to change. Although the two families have grown apart after all these years, their search for the truth and urge to come to terms with the tragedy has always remained the same. Sometimes, however, it can take a lifetime to be ready to say goodbye. (CinemAsia 2022)

Trailer: