UK premiere of 11 Flowers will close the festival, which runs March 9-18.

The fourth edition of the Pan-Asia Film Festival will kick off with the world premiere of Shivajee Chandrabhushan’s sports drama One More, centred on an ice hockey team in north-eastern India, with the director in attendance for a post-screening Q&A on March 9.

Taking place in London at Asia House, Ciné Lumière and the Prince Charles Cinema, the festival features work from India, Kazakhstan, Japan, China, Tibet, Iran, Taiwan, and South Korea with five UK premieres and one London premiere taking place over the course of the festival.

Highlights include the UK premiere of Wang Xiao-Shuai’s coming of age drama 11 Flowers, which closes the festival on March 18, and the UK premiere of A Sense Of Home which features 21 short films from the likes of Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Jia Zhang-ke focussed on the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011.

Sumantro Ghose, CEO of Asia House (which hosts the festival), said: “As Asia continues to grow in influence, economically and politically, a nuanced understanding of its diverse cultures and societies has never been more important. The Asia House Pan-Asia Film Festival offers unique insights into the lives of the people of Asia, from Iran and Kazakhstan to China and Japan.”

“This programme reflects the diversity of Asia’s cultures, whilst showcasing a newer generation of filmmaking talent which is being recognised on the international stage,” added festival director Sonali Joshi.

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