Winners – Awards
The curtain falls on the 23rd edition of the Asian Film Festival, directed by Antonio Termenini, which took place at the Farnese cinema in Rome from 7 to 15 April 2026. The winners were announced by the jury, comprising Gianluca Arcopinto, Martina Barone and Francesco Maesano.
The Best Film Award was presented to Shu Qi’s film Girl.
“Girl, actress Shu Qi’s directorial debut, is a film that surprises with its utter simplicity and
minimalism, transporting us to Taiwan in the late 1980s and making that era a character in its own
right.
”.
BEST FILM
GIRL (Shu Qi, Taiwan, 2026)
The Best Director Award went to the Filipino film Raging by Ryan Machado
“Mysterious and captivating, rooted in the Philippines yet capable of navigating the uncharted waters
of imagination, the award for Best Director goes to Ryan Machado for Raging, a film unafraid to
explore, in the most compelling of ways, the darkest crevices of places and people.
”.
MIGLIOR REGIA
RAGING (Ryan Machado, Philippines, 2025)
The Best Actress Award went to Prapamonton Eiamchan, the lead actress in the Thai film Human Resource
“The entire narrative of Human Resource rests on Fren’s face and her ability to painfully read
between the lines: workplace violence, autonomy over one’s own body, and the patriarchal structure
of marriage pass through her without ever being explicitly stated in dialogue –– and yet, it is all
there with us. Prapamonton Eiamchan portrays a woman who holds back, who observes, who bears
the weight of an enormous choice in a body that continues to punctually show up at the office. A
performance that carries the entire weight of the film on its shoulders, without ever raising its voice.”
BEST ACTRESS
Prapamonton Eiamchan (HUMAN RESOURCES Dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Thailand, 2025)
The Best Actor Award went to Piseth Chhun, the lead actor in the film Becoming Human by Cambodian director Polen Ly.
“For his ability to inhabit a metaphysical space with a human body, capable of bringing us together
in our favorite place — the movie theater — the award for Best Actor goes to Piseth Chhun for
Becoming Human and his performance, which draws viewers into the world of cinema as well as
into the profound social transformation of a country like Cambodia.”
BEST ACTOR
Piseth Chhun (BECOMING HUMAN Dir. Polen Ly, Cambodia, 2025)
The Award for Most Original Film was shared by the Korean film Two Voices into an Echo by Kim Kyung-rae and the Indonesian film Siapa Dia by Garin Nugroho
“Kim Kyung-rae captures the difficulty of focusing on the one we love and their true form, which
only appears at the time of separation. “The one we love does not exist,” seems to be the underlying
theme of the many scenes acted out by mimicking all-consuming presences and feelings. A film that
captures the blindness of love and all that remains, without seeking a moral, but providing a
snapshot of the many shades of belonging, from closeness to obsession.”
“In the story of Layar, a burnt-out movie star who plans a musical capable of spanning three
generations, lies the story of Indonesia — a tale that becomes an act of love and acts as a vessel, a
poem in images and a political essay disguised as melodrama. The camera works as a theatrical eye,
with shots reminiscent of a stage, dramatic lighting, and choreography that is not merely decorative
but also conveys meaning: everything contributes to the staging of a story and a life.”
MOST ORIGINAL FILM
Ex Aequo
TWO VOICES INTO AN ECHO (Kim Kyung-rae, South Korea, 2025)
SIAPA DIA (Garin Nugroho, Indonesia, 2025)
Once again this year, the Asian Film Festival saw the active participation of university juries, who awarded special prizes to the films selected for the Newcomers section and the Short Films section, as well as a Special Mention for the competition. The awards were presented by three leading Roman academic institutions: the University of International Studies in Rome (UNINT), the Rome University of Fine Arts (RUFA), and the Libera Università Maria Santissima Assunta (LUMSA), through the direct involvement of students, who assessed the films with passion, expertise and a critical eye.
The RUFA jury awarded the Best Short Film Prize to Something Blue by Jinsui Song.
“Something Blue is a well-made, visually appealing film that effectively conveys the trauma
experienced by the character, especially through the lead actress’s performance. Furthermore, the
sound design plays a significant role creating an intense and immersive atmosphere.”
BEST SHORT FILM
Award presented by the Rufa jury
SOMETHING BLUE (Jinsui Song, China, 2025)
SPECIAL MENTION UNINT
Award presented by the Unint jury
The UNINT jury awarded Fukada Kōji’s Love on Trial a Special Mention among the films in competition.
“A romantic drama which, through the story of Mai, one of the idols of the J-pop group Happy
Fanfare, explores the theme of the “no-love clause”— a provision in record contracts forbidding her
from having romantic relationships with members of the opposite sex. The award recognizes the
film’s ability to explore a controversial topic with extreme naturalness and realism, through highly
symbolic cinematography and an almost complete absence of a soundtrack — all elements that
perfectly capture the emotional paradox of the protagonist, who seeks to change the world she so
dearly loves, while remaining true to herself and her ideals.”
LOVE ON TRIAL (Fukada Kōji, Japan, 2025)
NEWCOMERS
Award presented by the Lumsa jury
The LUMSA jury awarded Yūto Shimizu’s Falling into Silence (My Fireworks) the prize for Best Film in the Newcomers section.
“The film stands as an essential starting point for anyone wishing to explore the connection between
grief, memory, and emotional freedom, symbolized by the ephemeral glow of fireworks. It is a work
that demands not only to be seen, but to be felt deeply. The subtitle, My Fireworks, carries immense
symbolic significance. The film implies that fireworks represent emotional catharsis: a solemn
invitation to let go of all hesitation and embrace one’s vulnerability, allowing oneself the luxury of
floating, however fleetingly, in the turmoil of one’s own feelings. An evocative film, with stunning
cinematography and a cast that is, above all, deeply human and universal.”
FALLING INTO SILENCE (MY FIREWORKS) (Yūto Shimizu, Japan, 2025)
The awards ceremony was attended by representatives from the Indonesian Embassy, the Philippine Ambassador and the Thai Embassy in Italy, the representative of the Korean Cultural Centre in Rome, and the representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Rome. The award winners sent video messages to convey their greetings and express their personal thanks to the festival.
PRESS OFFICE
SMILE COMMUNICATIONS
Francesca Spatola – francescaspatola.
Camilla Giaccio – camilla.giaccio@gmail.com – + 39 380 694 9003
See you next year.