Directors from Dhaka, Tokyo and Melbourne make up AdFest’s ‘Fabulous Four’ – set to present short films at 11am on Tues, Mar 19 in Thailand

AdFest has unveiled the names of this year’s Fabulous Four directors, with two directors from Dhaka (Bangladesh), one from Tokyo (Japan) and one director from Melbourne (Australia).

Md. Kamruzzaman Ratan, director from Dhaka, will present ‘Unsolved Stars’; Md. Reazul Amin, assistant director also from Dhaka will show ‘The Empty Side’; Takeshi Izumida, director at Taiyo Kikaku in Tokyo will show ‘Transcendent Love’ and Raphael Elisha, director at The Otto Empire in Melbourne will present ‘Truel’.

To attend this year’s Fabulous Four Screening, purchase your Delegate Passes today via the AdFest website here. The festival takes place on 17th – 19th March at Peach, Royal Cliff Hotels Group, Pattaya, Thailand.

Their short films will premiere at AdFest 2013 on Tuesday 19th March, 11.00am in a session moderated by John Park, founder and director at Addict Media Films in Seoul. Park is jury president of Film Craft Lotus and New Director Lotus at AdFest 2013.

Says Park: “I am excited for this year’s Fabulous Four directors. Each are of different genres and styles and I look forward to seeing four different interpretations of the concept, Connect the Dots. Fabulous Four is a great opportunity for up-and-coming directors as it serves as a weighty stepping stone into the industry and a great chance to showcase one’s work in front of some of the best creative minds in the region.”

Every year, AdFest invites new directors and assistant directors to submit a five-minute short film script inspired by the theme of AdFest. In 2013, AdFest received 29 scripts from 10 cities across the region based on this year’s theme, ‘Connect The Dots’.

The scripts were judged by the Film Craft Lotus & New Director Lotus jury, which includes:

• Jury President: John Park, Founder & Director, Addict Media Films, Seoul

• Barney Chua, Founder & Director, Mojo Films, Kuala Lumpur

• Hozefa Alibhai, Managing Director, 200 not out Films, Mumbai

• Kosai Sekine, Director, Stink, Tokyo

• Malinee Tosakul, Founder & Managing Director, Big Blue Production, Bangkok

• Michael Soo, Director, Post Production Office, Hong Kong

• Oliver Lawrence, Executive Producer, Photoplay Films, Sydney

Says Malinee Tosakul of Big Blue Production in Bangkok: “Fabulous Four is more than a good opportunity for up-and-coming directors. A few years ago, I had an opportunity to help an up-and-coming director produce a short film for AdFest. His film was seen by many companies at the festival, and later he was hired by an overseas production house. AdFest is a shortcut for directors to present their creativity and their ability.” 

Says Oliver Lawrence of Photoplay Films in Sydney: “AdFest is a fantastic festival, you literally get to meet loads of interesting, creative people from all over the region. To expose a young director to AdFest gives them a steep learning curve. It’s a great opportunity to have their short film screened and do some serious networking.”

The Fabulous Four now have just a few weeks to cast, direct, edit and complete their short films before premiering atAdFest  2013. 

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