Jury President Roger Garcia's Closing Remarks:

First, I would like to thank Sophia Wong Boccio, founder of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema and her team, especially Jury Coordinator Ron Falzone, for the kind and generous hospitality that has made for a great and enjoyable jury and festival experience. Thank you also to the Board of Directors for continuing to support the festival’s contribution to the cultural life of this great city in Chicago.

Second, my sincere gratitude to Sophia for inviting me as Jury President for the festival’s first-ever competition section. It is a great honor and responsibility, and I would also like to thank my two fellow jurors, Barbara Scharres and Mark Schilling, for their invaluable contribution and support in the judging process.

Asia, of course, is a vast continent with a wide spectrum of cultures, languages and traditions, so a festival and its competition succeeds when the program itself is a balance between popular and art house works, and a kind of slice of the rich diversity of experiences, storytelling and talent that represents contemporary Asian cinema. We saw much of this in the competition selection with its judicious representation, not only from the main production centers of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, but also from other corners of the continent such as South East Asia and Mongolia.

The quality of films was high and the competition was close. Our discussions were enriching, and my fellow jurors’ knowledge and evaluations personally gave me greater insight into the works being considered. I hope that one of the results of our process will be to indicate some standard and guidance for future competitions and juries!

The continued diversity of the festival program, the attendance of talents, and exciting combination of titles for competition are all good signs for the things to come, and I wish the festival every success as it continues to move forward. Thank you!