From October 17 to October 31, the YouTube Screening Room – a platform for premium film content from around the world – will showcase four films by some of today’s foremost Asian filmmakers. From award-winning festival darlings to undiscovered gems submitted directly to YouTube, The Screening Room is a special curation of high quality films from around the world. Rotating the films every other Friday, The Screening Room creates a space for filmmakers to engage a global audience like never before.
Leading the line up is “The Princess of Nebraska“, a new feature film from BAFTA-award-nominated Chinese filmmaker, Wayne Wang, director of “Joy Luck Club” and “Maid in Manhattan“. Making its world premiere in the YouTube Screening Room, “The Princess of Nebraska” is based on a short story by Yiyun Li and follows 24 hours in the life of a pregnant Chinese woman as she struggles with one of life’s hardest decisions.
For two weeks, The Screening Room will feature works by three leading Asian filmmakers:
“Tired City” (Hong Kong), a beautiful animation film about a young woman pushed to the brink by the endless drudgery of modern urban life. Released by Hong Kong Arts Centre, a new YouTube partner, this film was directed by John Chan and Pam Hung.
“Scab” (Japan) tells the story of a young student who struggles to finish his homework, but a giant scab on his tutor’s lip is making it a bit hard to focus. Directed by Koichi Iguch, “Scab” won the Tropicana Award at the prestigious Australian short film festival, Tropfest.
“The Chestnut Tree” (Korea), twice nominated for Animation’s highest honor, the Annie Awards, is a film of a young girl and her mother reliving memories under the chestnut tree. The film was created in a traditional hand-drawn style by Hyun-min Lee, a Korean female 2-D animator at Disney.