2025 Festival Competition

For the first time, our festival will feature a juried competition, with 16 films competing for the Grand Jury Feature Film Award, the Best Short Film Award, and the Francis Kwong Memorial Award recognizing an emerging director.

The winners will be announced closing night of our festival on Sunday, April 13, prior to our screening of BRUSH OF GOD.

Competing for the Grand Jury Feature Film Award
Narrative and Documentary Feature

  • Tom Lin Shu-yu’s YEN AND AI-LEE (Taiwan)

  • Junichi Yasuda’s A SAMURAI IN TIME (Japan)

  • Sengedorj Janchivdorj’s SILENT CITY DRIVER (Mongolia)

  • Chuang Ching-shen’s THE UNIFORM (Taiwan)

  • Gao Peng’s A LONG SHOT (China)

  • Yeo Siew Hua’s STRANGER EYES (Singapore)

  • Daihachi Yoshida’s TEKI COMETH (Japan)

  • Park Ri-woong’s THE LAND OF MORNING CALM (South Korea)

Competing for the Best Short Film Award
Narrative/Animation Short and Documentary

  • Jaehee Jeong’s WANNA DIE WANNA KILL (South Korea)

  • Laurence Ly’s THE LITTLE SHOPPING TROLLEY (Canada)

  • Jennifer Fan Jiang’s UNDER THE KASAYA (Canada)

  • Chheangkea’s GRANDMA NAI WHO PLAYED FAVORITES (Cambodia)

Competing for the Francis Kwong Memorial Award
Recognizing an emerging new director (first or second feature film) with a Cash Prize of $2,000 US.

  • Gao Peng’s A LONG SHOT (China)

  • Naoya Kusaba's YUKIKO A.K.A. (Japan)

  • Ho Miu-ki's LOVE LIES (Hong Kong)

  • Lee Mi-rang's CONCERNING MY DAUGHTER (South Korea)

  • Park Ri-woong’s THE LAND OF MORNING CALM (South Korea)

  • Tumpal Tampubolon’s CROCODILE TEARS (Indonesia)

Meet Our Distinguished Jury

  • Roger Garcia, President of the Jury


    A film festival executive, producer, critic, and writer who has led major organizations such as the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the Asian Film Awards Academy, the International Film Camp (Macao), and the Korean Film Council's Script Development Lab. He has served as a curator, consultant, and juror for many international festivals. As a producer, he has worked on multiple award-winning films in Hollywood, Europe, and Asia.

  • Barbara Scharres, Juror


    Artistic Director of the Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival, she also works as a consultant, writer, and journalist. As the former Director of Programming for the Gene Siskel Film Center, she developed one of North America's largest year-round public programs of world cinema. She has given lectures on Asian cinema at famed institutions including Yale and Columbia University.

  • Mark Schilling, Juror


    A Tokyo-based critic, journalist, translator, and author who has covered Japanese cinema since 1975. A longtime reviewer for The Japan Times, he has also written for Variety, Film Comment, and Kinema Junpo, was a script advisor on THE LAST SAMURAI, and has authored or contributed to over 50 books. He serves as a program advisor for the Udine Far East Film Festival.

Chicago’s longrunning Pan-Asian film festival

  • REACH GLOBAL AUDIENCES

    Showcase your film to diverse, international viewers through APUC’s in-person and online platforms, elevating your work in Chicago’s premier Pan-Asian festival.

  • GAIN INDUSTRY RECOGNITION

    Compete for prestigious awards like the Grand Jury Feature Film Award and the Francis Kwong Memorial Award, which includes a $2,000 cash prize.

  • CONNECT WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS

    Network with filmmakers, educators, and professionals from Asia and North America, gaining valuable exposure and potential career-building connections.