Malaysian drama Snow In Midsummer and Thai blockbuster How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies picked up the top prizes at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) on Sunday (July 28).
Snow In Midsummer won the Uncaged Award for best feature film in the festival’s main competition.
Directed by Chong Keat Aun, it is the first film to directly tackle the violent race riots that took place in Kuala Lumpur on May 13, 1969 and make it past Malaysian censors but with a string of cuts. Accepting the award in New York, the filmmaker said he hoped it would help persuade the Malaysian government to one day release an uncensored version.
“This film was released nationwide in Malaysia last week, but in a version that is incomplete,” said Chong. “It contains 27 instances of blacked-out, blurred-out or muted scenes. For the past 50 years, this incident has not been spoken about in Malaysia, so hopefully this award will be a message to the Malaysian government that one day, the complete version of the film can be seen.
“The award goes to all the family members of the victims and those still searching for closure. We’ll be with you until you find everything that you’re looking for.”
The eight-strong competition, which featured titles from across South Asia, also saw a special jury award given to Indonesian drama Women From Rote Island by Jeremias Nyangoen.
The NYAFF 2024 audience award was scooped by How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, a Thai family drama starring popular Thai singer Putthipong Assaratanakul (aka Billkin) and directed by Pat Boonnitipat. The film is the highest grossing feature of 2024 to date in Thailand and Singapore and the biggest Asian film of all time in Indonesia.
Both the star and director were in New York to greet large numbers of fans at the North American premiere of the feature, which quickly sold out and led to the booking of a second screening, which also sold out.
The audience award runners up were Soi Cheang’s Hong Kong action film Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, which closed the festival, followed by a tie for third place between Breaking And Re-Entering by Taiwan’s Leo Wang and Bushido by Japan’s Kazuya Shiraishi.
Best short went to Cross My Heart And Hope To Die from the Philippines’ Sam Manacsa, with special mentions for The Boys And The Donkey by China’s Tsering Yangjyab and White Butterfly from Vietnam-US director Catherine T. Nguyen.
NYAFF screened more than 90 films from July 12-28, attended by 130 filmmakers, stars and guests from across Asia and the Asian diaspora. One-third of the screenings were sold out – a record for the festival.
Samuel Jamier, NYAFF executive director and president of the New York Asian Film Foundation, said this year’s edition had “shattered expectations”.
“We’ve witnessed an unprecedented 33% growth in both attendance and box office revenue, and one-third of our screenings sold out within days,” he said.
“Our expanded Thai and Taiwanese sections were particular highlights, while the triumphant return of major Hong Kong productions rekindled the city’s love affair with this vibrant cinema. This year’s festival also showcased a broader range of narratives, from intimate personal dramas to epic historical sagas, reflecting the rich tapestry of Asian storytelling.”
No comments yet