‘Fujiko’ Awarded Golden Mulberry At Far East Film Festival
FEFF’s Silver Mulberry went to The Seoul Guardians about the 2024 protests against former Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law.
Fujiko, the second feature from Japanese filmmaker Taichi Kimura, was presented with the Golden Mulberry Audience Award at the close of this year’s Far East Film Festival (FEFF, April 24-May 2) in Udine, Italy.
Set in Shizuoka during the 1970s and 1980s, the film follows a single mother navigating personal freedom during the social upheaval of the era. SC Films International is handling worldwide sales on the film, which stars Yuki Katayama, Lily Franky and Issey Ogata.
FEFF’s Silver Mulberry went to The Seoul Guardians, co-directed by Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan and Cho Chul-young, a documentary about the December 2024 protests against former Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law.
Four films were jointly awarded the festival’s Crystal Mulberry: Yuen Woo-ping’s martial arts epic Blades Of The Guardian; historical drama The King’s Warden, directed by Korea’s Chang Hang-jun; My Name, from Korea’s Chung Ji-young; and Tunnels: Sun In The Dark, from Vietnamese filmmaker Bui Thac Chuyen.
The Black Dragon Award, voted on by the festival’s Black Dragon pass holders, was presented ex aequo to Fujiko and The Seoul Guardians.
The three jurors of the first feature section awarded the White Mulberry Award for a First Feature to Unidentified Murder, directed by Hong Kong’s Kwok Ka-hei and Jack Lee, with a special mention for The Seoul Guardians. The Mulberry Award for Best Screenplay went to Tunnels: Sun In The Dark, with a special mention for We Are All Strangers, from Singapore’s Anthony Chen.
More than 3,000 votes decided the winner of the Purple Mulberry Award (MyMovies Award), which went to 5 Centimeters Per Second, from Japan’s Okuyama Yoshiyuki.
Yuen Woo-ping and Japanese actor Koji Yakusho (Perfect Days) were presented with Golden Mulberry Awards for Lifetime Achievement, while Chinese actress Fan Bingbing was awarded a Golden Mulberry for Outstanding Achievement.
Over at the Focus Asia industry platform, China-US project Naked In Glendale, from emerging filmmaker Yan Haohao, took the White Light Award, worth $20,000 in post-production services, while Malaysian-Singapore project Somewhere In The South, directed by Ce Ding Tan and produced by Edward Lim and Anthony Chen, was presented with the TAICCA Award.
FEFF’s 2026 edition screened 75 films, including eight world premieres, and drew 70,000 attendees, 3,241 guests, 236 guests of honour and more than 2,000 accredited audience. Next year’s edition has been scheduled for April 23 to May 1, 2027.
FAR EAST FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS 2026:
Golden Mulberry: Fujiko (Japan)
Silver Mulberry: The Seoul Guardians (Korea)
Crystal Mulberry: Blades Of The Guardians (China), The King’s Warden (Korea), My Name (Korea), Tunnels: Sun In The Dark (Vietnam)
Black Dragon Award: The Seoul Guardians (Korea) & Fujiko (Japan)
White Mulberry Award (First-time Director): Kwok Ka-hei & Jack Lee, Unidentified Murder (Hong Kong)
White Mulberry Award Special Mention: Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan, Cho Chul-young, The Seoul Guardians (Korea)
Mulberry Award (Best Screenplay): Tunnels: Sun In The Dark (Vietnam)
Mulberry Award Special Mention: We Are All Strangers (Singapore)
Purple Mulberry (MYmovies) Award: 5 Centimeters Per Second (Japan)
