CHICAGO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Red carpet rolled out for the opening of the Pan-Asian film organization's season six festival in downtown Chicago Tuesday night, showcasing 16 feature and documentary films from Asia and Canada.
Sophia Wong Boccio, founder and executive-artistic director of Asian Pop-Up Cinema and film festival, told Xinhua that the program running from March 13 to May 16 this year is quite diverse, with film genres ranging "from comedy and romance to epic action, drama and documentary."
Boccio started operating Asian Pop-Up Cinema in 2015 and began presenting two seasons of films selected from various countries in Asia each year. She has expanded the selection to include Asian-themed movies from directors in Canada this year.
The ceremony opened with the feature film "Colors of the Wind," directed by Kwak Jae-young from South Korea. Japanese star Yuki Furukawa played a dual role.
"Colors of the Wind" tells the story of love, fate and mystery as Ryo played by Furukawa was told by his dying girlfriend that there is another her and how he decided to find out the meaning behind her words.
Furukawa attended the opening and told Xinhua that he had been to China a couple of times and filmed a drama series in China.
"I'm the first Japanese actor that ever had a fan meeting in China," he said with a smile.
Shiho Keenan, who is 31 years old, said she flew from Los Angeles to see Furukawa, and her Japanese girlfriends also came from Tokyo directly even though they had seen the film before.
He is super and the film is "so unreal that needs to be watched again for more understanding," one of the girls said.
Films from Chinese mainland include "Paths of the Soul" directed by Zhang Yang.
In addition, there are also films from Hong Kong and Taiwan, including "The Great Buddha+" and "Tomorrow is Another Day" in which actor Ling Man-lung got a Bright Star Award for his performance.
Other films shown at the festival come from nations like Japan, India,as well as Canada.
"This season we're hosting the biggest representation yet of special guests from around the world," said Boccio. "Their presence only intensifies the cultural exchange that defines our programming and our mission."
Michael Croson, 53, from Canada said this is his second year attending the Asian film festival.
"I have never been to Asia. These films give me a window to Asian cultures," Croson said.
In an effort to promote Asian films, Boccio has teamed up with several local organizations to present six free community screenings at various locations.
