Editor

The irresistible comedy How To Use Guys With Secret Tips by Lee Won-suk won, by popular acclaim,
the Golden Mulberry 2013. On the podium Thailand and Hong Kong.

The fifteenth edition closes with 50,000 spectators.

The audience at the Far East Film Festival had no doubts: the Golden Mulberry 2013 could only go to South Korea for the irresistible comedy How To Use Guys With Secret Tips! Pop culture at the highest level, and a director, the very funny Lee Won-suk, became the idol of the spectators!
On the second place of the podium, with only a few votes to count, was the brilliant Thai pulp movie Countdown by the debut director Nattawut Poonpiriya (and also Thailand received its first award!), while the refined biopic Ip Man - The Final Fight by Herman Yau (a dear friend of FEFF) has secured the bronze award for Hong Kong.
The Black Mulberry of Black Dragon accreditated went to Taiwan for the drama Touch of the Light by Chang Jung-chi, while the MYmovies web-jurors have selected the eccentric It's Me, It's Me by the Japanese director Miki Satoshi, accompanied on the stage of Teatro Nuovo by the pop idol Kamenashi Kazuya (to the delight of admirers of half the planet).
After the warm applause of the Closing Night, therefore, it is time to review the Far East Film 15. An edition that, in spite of the massive cuts suffered, was once again able to cross the finish line in FEFF rigorous style, including sold out films, long queues and special events: from the delivery of the Golden Mulberry to the fantastic South Korean Kim Dong-ho, a man of peace and cinema, to the historic meeting with the actress Hang Jong Sim and the producer Ryom Mi Hwa, who arrived in Udine directly from Pyongyang to present the North Korean fairytale Comrade Kim Goes Flying.
The figures of the festival? The Udine Festival has reached and confirmed the targets from 2012, responding strongly to the drastic reduction of the budget: 50,000 spectators in the theatre, 1200 accredited (provenances covering 16 countries), €100,000 of takings (including ticketing and accrediting). Several thousand people were involved in the busy schedule of the side events, culminating in the crowded Far East Cosplay Contest on April 25th.
Other figures: the bookshop has sold 2000 items (including books, t-shirts, posters, DVDs and gadgets), the official website (www.fareastfilm.com) has once again exceeded the 50,000 unique visitors from mid-April and the official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/UdineFarEastFilm) has obtained the record of 10,000 subscribers.
Also this year, therefore, Far East Film has been able to count on the support of a very loyal audience (European and international) composed of journalists, critics, film students, experts, professionals and, above all, people who love the Far East cinema. Without, of course, forgetting the valuable contribution of the more than 150 volunteers who have joined the staff.
Still a fantastic review, therefore, both in quantitative and qualitative terms: the value of the program has been widely certified by names and titles already enrolled in the new Asian cinema!