Bangkok--2 Nov--Predia Communication
Asia’s prestigious film festival announces nominees for the second year of the competition at the nomination night.
The Asian Festival of 1st Films (AFFF) tonight announced nominations for the second year of the competition. The list of nominees was presented by award-winning Cannes and Venice Festival winner and Academy Award Nominee, director Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding”, Salaam Bombay) and actress Fann Wong (“Dragon Eye Congee”) at the AFFF 2006 nomination night announcement at the Q-Bar.
Nominated films were from countries including China, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and USA, the 22 nominated first films and documentaries will compete for nine awards in the categories of: Best Film, Best Director, Best Producer, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Script or Screenplay, Best Cinematographer or Editor, Best Documentary, and Best Director (Documentary).
The nominees were chosen by an international selection committee made up of eminent filmmakers, producers and directors including Alex Law (Hong Kong), Kunal Kohli (India), Raymond Lee (Philippines), Daw Ming Lee (Taiwan) and Sirkka Moeller (UK), who congregated in Singapore last month to review over 300 hours of film and documentaries and to make their nominations for the respective categories.
AFFF 2006’s international call for worldwide submissions in May/June this year drew 330 submissions from 60 countries—nearly 40 per cent more than the total number of entries received last year when the festival was inaugurated.
The notable rise in submission numbers is an indication of the festival’s rapidly growing reputation as an influential platform for showcasing exceptional work by talented first-time Asian filmmakers.
AFFF’s impressive d้but in 2005 as the world’s first Asian festival for first films attracted the attention of the global media and also pointed to a sign of growing distributor and investor confidence in Asian first films.
Since its inception, AFFF has proven achievement of an astounding level of success in meeting its chief objectives, with several of the AFFF 2005 winners having gone on to win awards at prestigious international festivals including the Sundance Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival and the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Montreal Film Festival, La Palmas, New York Film festival and San Francisco Film Festival, etc. Distribution deals worth over 5 million dollars have been signed for nominated films from 2005.
AFFF 2006 nominated films and documentaries will premiere at public screenings in Golden Village cinemas and the Arts House during the week-long Asian Festival of 1st Films (November 29 to December 5, 2006).
The festival culminates in a grand, star-studded Awards Night (December 5), during which the results of the competition will be announced. The winner for each of the categories will be determined by an international jury made up of distinguished personalities from the industry, and honored with one of nine coveted Swarovski trophies.
For more information on the AFFF, please log on to www.asianfirstfilms.com . For full details on the list of AFFF 2006 nominated first films, please refer to the fact sheet enclosed in the press kit.
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Teamwork is a highly versatile entertainment company, with roots in the performing arts, social action, and the corporate world. Our expertise lies in the area of entertainment including Television, Film — documentary and feature, Event Management, Social Communication, Creation and Development of Contemporary Performing and Visual Arts Festivals across the world and in nurturing new talent across arts forms.
Teamwork Films, India, Teamwork Productions Singapore, Teamwork Films Pvt Ltd UK, Friends of Music and TWF Arts Society and liaison offices in Hong Kong and New York have initiated a wide range of projects in Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA.
About Asia Media Festival 2006
The Asia Media Festival (AMF) 2006 is a media fiesta held from 13 November to 1 December 2006 comprising events for both trade professionals and consumers. The festival features anchor trade events such as the Asia Television Forum, Asia Film Market & Conference, Asia Animation, Media Financing Forum, Asian Television Awards and the Asian Festival of 1st Films. AMF 2006 also includes an array of exciting workshops, conferences and exhibitions for both media enthusiasts and practitioners. Running parallel to the trade events is MEDIAction!, an outreach initiative organised by Media Development Authority to inspire the general public to discover the benefits and possibilities that media can offer for work, learning and play. More information on AMF 2006 can be found at www.asiamediafestival.com .
Issued on behalf of Asian Festival of 1st Films
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