Taiwan film "Day Off" (本日公休) won the Mulberry Award for Best Screenplay at the 2023 Far East Film Festival (FEFF) held in Udine, northeastern Italy late Saturday.
The FEFF announced the results at its award ceremony at 0:30 a.m. Sunday morning local time, where 43 films from 11 countries or territories in Asia vied for honors at the annual cinematic event running from April 21-29.
"Day Off" tells the story of people's connection and relationships, said the movie's director Fu Tien-yu (傅天余) when receiving the award, adding that she hopes it can help to bridge the differences between cultures and countries.
The film, funded by the Ministry of Culture and released in 2023, is one of six domestically produced film works participating in the festival. The other works are "Gaga" (哈勇家), "Untold Herstory" (流麻溝十五號), "The Abandoned" (查無此心), "Bad Education" (黑的教育), and "Marry My Dead Body" (關於我和鬼變成家人的那件事).
Culture Minister Shih Che (史哲) congratulated Fu via the Ufficio di Rappresentanza di Taipei in Italia, which said it will continue to promote Taiwanese movies in Italy.
The FEFF in Udine, founded by Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche in 1999, entered its 25th edition in 2023. The festival has long served as an important forum for the introduction of Asian films to the European market.
The Golden Mulberry Award this year went to the Malaysian film "Abang Adik" directed by Lay Jin Ong.