Chinese drama Bound In Heaven was awarded the Grand Prix for Best Picture at this year’s Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF, March 14-23) in Japan.
OAFF also announced that the next edition of the festival will be held this year, August 29-September 7, 2025, during the Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, and there will be no edition of the festival in 2026.
Bound In Heaven is directed by Huo Xin in her directorial debut and stars Ni Ni, Zhou You and Liao Fan. The film had its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and also played at San Sebastian, where it won the FIPRESCI Award and Jury Prize for Best Cinematography.
OAFF’s jury said: “While the themes that films depict are becoming more diverse, we were struck by the passion and intensity of this truly classic-style love story, which is not often chosen for film festivals. The destiny of the two leads immerses us unquestionably in the world of the film, and we are fascinated by the world that allows us to share in the cinematic joy of the film.”
Also in OAFF’s main competition section, Korean director Park Ri-woon was presented with the Most Promising Talent Award for The Land Of Morning Calm, which also won a New Currents Awards at Busan last year, while Adam Wong’s The Way We Talk won an OAFF Special Mention. Best Actor went to Mongolia’s Tuvshinbayar Amartuvshin for Silent City Driver.
The Jaiho Award was presented to 404 Still Remain, directed by Korea’s Uhm Ha-neul, while the Yakushi Pearl Award went to the ensemble cast of Pan Ke-yin’s Taiwanese drama Family Matters, including Alexia Kao, Lan Wei-Hua, Tseng Jing-Hua and Queena Huang.
Megumi Okawara’s So Beautiful, Wonderful And Lovely won the Japan Cuts Award, while the Audience Award was presented to The Tales Of Kurashiki, directed by Emiko Hiramatsu. The Housen Short Film Award was presented to WAShhh, while a Special Mention went to The Melancholy Of A Brass Player For Brass Quintet.
OAFF opened with Solider Of Love, from Kazakh director Farkhat Sharipov, and closed with I Am Kirishima, directed by Japan’s Takahashi Banmei.