PATTAYA, THAILAND — For its 2024 edition, ADFEST has revealed the names of its Fabulous Five — the new directors who represent filmmaking excellence of the future. The judges assessed 23 scripts from eight cities to select the five most impressive new directors and their short films, each bringing a unique perspective to ADFEST’s 2024 theme, “Human Intelligence.”
All Fabulous Five directors will be flown to Thailand to premiere and discuss their films on stage. ADFEST will provide return economy airfare, ground transportation, accommodation, and a full delegate registration to ADFEST 2024.
ADFEST attendees will be able to view the films and hear the stories behind them at the Fabulous Five session on March 22 from 11:50 am to 1:00 pm, which will highlight the power of these emerging directors’ storytelling and the skill and talent required to bring their visions to life.
In addition, all Fabulous Five films will be automatically accepted for the Young Director Award (YDA), an award specifically dedicated to rising young directors. As The Short Films for ADFEST 2024 by the Fabulous Five is part of the New Director Award, for the first time, two additional New Director Lotus winners will also be accepted to YDA.
“I firmly believe that the cultural lens through which we observe and interpret life is an invaluable asset. We are thrilled to introduce the unique perspective of ADFEST-winning directors to our international arena of jurors, providing them with additional opportunities for worldwide recognition. YDA is committed to providing exclusive support to emerging young talent, and we eagerly anticipate the arrival of the new Fabulous Five,” said Francois Chilot, President of the Young Director Award.
Masashi Fukuda, Director at Taiyo Kikaku, Tokyo, was among the ADFEST 2020 Fabulous Five winners. He noted, “It was a valuable opportunity for me as a director to have my short film shown on a big screen and receive feedback from the audience directly. Even though there was a given theme, the process of creating an original script was a time to earnestly face myself, and it became an important moment in my career. I believe that winning Fabulous Five has led to more people knowing my name and work.”
The ADFEST 2024 Fabulous Five New Directors are:
- Fumiya Hara – Director, FIELD MANAGEMENT EXPAND, Tokyo
- Natsuki Urayama – Planner and Director, AOI Pro., Tokyo
- Pak Hin Phileas Cheung – Director, WOWWOWTANK, Hong Kong
- Ryotaro Nishi – Film Director, FIELD MANAGEMENT EXPAND, Tokyo
- Tanjeel Sultan Khan Turja – Director, X-Integrated Marketing Agency, Dhaka
Multi-awarded New Zealand Director Zia Mandviwalla from FINCH, Sydney, was one of this year’s Fabulous Five judges. She said, “It was a pleasure reading so many diverse and innovative works, each with their own unique interpretation of this year’s theme. What struck me when reading was a sense of each filmmaker’s particular voice. Some scripts really leaped off the page visually and tonally. I am very excited to see the finished films.”
Don’t miss the opportunity to meet this year’s Fabulous Five, view their short films, and hear the stories behind their inspirations at the Short Films for ADFEST 2024 by The Fabulous Five session on March 22 from 11:50 am to 1:00 pm.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of ADFEST 2024.
