Iranian Filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf Named Jury President Of Vesoul International Film Festival Of Asian Cinema

Acclaimed Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf will serve as jury president at the 30th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (VIFFAC), which runs from February 6-13. 

Held in France, this year’s edition will spotlight Taiwanese cinema and Malayalam-language films from India. A total of 92 films from 29 countries will be screened. 

Makhmalbaf’s works include A Moment of Innocence (1996), which won a special mention at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as Kandahar (2001), which won the Ecumenical Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival. 

Other jury members at VIFFAC this year include Taiwanese director Zero Chou, winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2007, Iranian actress Fatemed Motamed-Arya and Japanese actor Shogen.

There are 17 films across the fiction and documentary competitions, which come from China, Korea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Taiwan. There are two world premieres, five international premieres, six European premieres and four French premieres. 

The spotlight on Taiwanese cinema will include 19 films from 1962 to 2023, showcasing works from auteurs like King Hu, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, Ang Lee, Tsai Ming-liang, Chang Tso-chi, Huang Hsin-yao, Sylvia Chang, Zero Chou and Laha Mebow. 

Sound engineer Tu Duu-chih (In the Mood for Love, Goodbye, Dragon Inn, A City of Sadness) and director Zero Chou (Spider Lilies, Untold Herstory) will receive an honorary Cyclo d’or for their career achievements. 

Ten recent films in the Malayalam language, from the state of Kerela in India, will also screen as part of the festival. 

To celebrate both the 30th anniversary of VIFFAC and the 30th anniversary of the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) prize, a selection of ten films awarded the NETPAC prize from 2003 to 2020 will also be screened at the festival.