'Countdown' blasts off
The psychological thriller "Countdown" added another prize to its trophy shelf last weekend, winning a runner-up Audience Award at the 15th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.
It narrowly missed the top prize in the audience poll, which was won by the South Korean romantic comedy “How to Use Guys with Secret Tips”.
Another runner-up prize went to Hong Kong’s “Ip Man: The Final Fight”, which director Herman Yau aimed to make the most realistic of the many recent biographical dramas about the martial-arts master.
Taiwan’s “Touch of the Light” got the Black Dragon Audience Award, which is voted on by an elite class of audience members who give lots of money to the festival and have their own reserved seating.
“Countdown” director Nattawut “Baz” Poonpiriya was among the festival guests. His debut feature, “Countdown” was adapted from his student short film shot in New York. It won several awards this season, mainly for its performance by David Asavanond as an unhinged drug dealer named Jesus who terrorises three young Thais in their apartment on New Year’s Eve.
Also in Udine was director Chookiat Sakveerakul, supporting the screening of “Home”. Other Thai entries in the fest were the gangster drama “Antapal”, the nine-segment horror “9-9-81”, which earned a good review from Film Business Asia, and “Thongsuk 13”, aka “Long Weekend”.
