Director Lee Hwan’s ‘Project Y’ Wins Best Picture at the London East Asia Film Festival

According to the festival’s organizing committee on Nov. 3, the film — which follows two women who, in an effort to escape their harsh realities, steal money and gold bars — took home the festival’s top honor at the closing ceremony held in London on the 2nd.

The jury praised the film, saying: “By placing the female gaze at the center of its narrative, ‘Project Y’ dismantles the conventions of the traditional noir genre, establishing female agency as the driving force of desire, tension, and moral ambiguity — showcasing a new possibility for Asian cinema.”

Meanwhile, ‘Middle-earth’, directed by Kang Yun-sung, which opened the festival’s “AI Section,” received the Future of Asia Cinema Award.

The closing film was ‘National Treasure’, directed by Korean-Japanese filmmaker Lee Sang-il, which drew attention for selling out all 800 seats of its screening.

Festival Executive Director Jeon Hye-jung remarked,

“The London East Asia Film Festival, which began as a small initiative ten years ago, has now grown into the leading Asian film festival in the UK. The experimental spirit and diversity shown in this year’s films make us look forward to the next decade even more.” 

By Kim Ji-yeon