First three films selected for VPRO Tiger Awards Competition

The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has selected the first three films in its VPRO Tiger Awards Competition: WALTZ IN STARLIGHT by Shingo Wakagi (Japan), FLOWER IN THE POCKET by Liew Seng Tat (Malaysia) and the Hubert Bals Fund supported WONDERFUL TOWN by Aditya Assarat (Thailand).

WALTZ IN STARLIGHT is the autobiographical début feature of well known Japanese photographer Shingo Wakagi. In his film he looks back on his childhood, paying tribute to his grandfather, a famous manzai-artist (Japanese stand-up comedy) in a mixture of home movies, fictional and documentary filmmaking.

FLOWER IN THE POCKET, début feature by Liew Seng Tat, was awarded in Pusan by both audience and Jury as Best Film in the New Currents Competition. The film, which will have its European premiere in Rotterdam, tells about two motherless young boys. While their father shuts himself out of the world, the brothers grow up with all the freedom of neglected children.

WONDERFUL TOWN by Aditya Assarat from Thailand will have its European premiere in Rotterdam. The film, also a Pusan New Currents Award winner was supported by Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund. Situated in a Thai village that never recovered from the 2004 tsunami devastation, the film tells about a love story causing a strong reaction among the inhabitants.

The VPRO Tiger Awards Competition is selected by festival programmers Ludmila Cvikova, Gerwin Tamsma and Gertjan Zuilhof in collaboration with festival director Rutger Wolfson. The full Competition line up will be announced the second week of January.

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