10 aspiring global journalists will join this year’s 23rd edition of the Far East Film Festival in Udine

UDINE – The bonds between the cinemas of East and West continue to strengthen with each passing year and the FEFF Campus will again help further this vital cause by hosting (online) 10 aspiring journalists – five from Asia and five from Europe –this year’s 23rd edition of the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy from 24 June to 2 July.

After sorting through applications that came in from across the globe, FEFF is very proud to announce that this year’s successful Campus candidates are Jason Tan Liwag (Philippines), Sakura Ip (Hong Kong), Richard Olano (Philippines), Hai Anh Vu (Vietnam), Yuxi Wang (China), Emilia Cristante (Itay), Jenni Leppihuhta (Finland), Levan Tskhovrebadze (Georgia), Chris Cassingham (United Kingdom), and Nejc Fegus (Slovenia).

They will now officially join the FEFF family across the course of this year’s frestival, beaming in from around the world as they engage in a programme that will help them chart a course into their future careers.

“It thrills us all to announce this year’s successful FEFF Campus members who have impressed us with their passion for cinema,” said Campus co-ordinator Mathew Scott.

“Although the world is still struggling with the pandemic we were delighted by the response to this year’s callout and are proud that we are still able to forge these connections between film lovers everywhere, thanks to FEFF and the many Campus supporters. We are preparing to welcome them together online for a unique cross-cultural experience – and a whole lot of fun.”

The FEFF Campus programme was initiated with great success in 2015 and will this year continue its commitment to providing a unique opportunity for young journalists to go “behind the scenes” at a film festival, while learning from the expertise provided by a line-up of media and film-industry veterans. This year’s Campus will include special seminars related to film-specific subjects, such as “What It Means to Be a Critic”, while the successful candidates will also have the opportunity to interview a selection of the biggest stars in Asia, and the chance to have their work published on global media platforms.

They will also have direct access to the ever-popular FEFF Talks series of seminars and guest appearances. The “business of film” is also high on the agenda for 2021, and the Campus attendees will be able to gain a valuable insight into the inner workings of the industry through FEFF’s "Focus Asia" and “Ties That Bind” industry sections.

Among the stars to take time to work with the Campus last year was Hong Kong’s Oscar-nominated hero Derek Tsang – whose Better Days won FEFF’s Golden Mulberry before being nominated for the 2021 Academy Awards. In other years the Campus has been joined by the likes of superstars Sammo Hung, Brigitte Lin and Moon So-ri.

The 7th edition of the FEFF Campus is this year being supported by the Asian film-industry platform Easternkicks.com as well as by the likes of the Taiwan News, Content Asia, Telum Media, the TANDEM Asia creative content agency and the Fondazione Pietro Pittini.