FEFF Udine 2024: Is There A Theatrical Future For Asian Films In Europe?
As Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine, northern Italy, was kicking off last week, the festival’s associated distribution company, Tucker Film, was gearing up to release Malaysian drama Abang Adik on 50 screens across Italy.
Tucker Film has partnered with another Italian distributor, Academy 2, to release the film, the feature debut of Malaysian filmmaker Jin Ong, which won the top audience award and two other prizes at FEFF last year, as well as best actor for Wu Kang-ren at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards.
In an era of contracting theatrical distribution – in which a worrying proportion of specialist films end up on streaming platforms or simply disappear – the release in Italian cinemas of a small Malaysian film from a first-time director is the kind of event that gives you hope in the future of the cinema industry.
FEFF and Tucker Film co-founder Sabrina Baracetti explains that Academy 2 is promoting the film as a moving drama that reveals the gritty side of a popular touri…