Ever heard of The Nippon Foundation (TNF)?

It’s a non-profit organization established in 1962 in Japan with a focus on education, social welfare, public health, and other fields in over 100 countries.

Together with more than 20 partner organizations in Japan and worldwide, TNF has been funding and assisting community-led efforts aimed at realizing a more peaceful and prosperous global society.

One of the many ways it’s been realizing its goals is through the True Colors Film Festival (TCFF). Starting off in 2006, the festival has been presenting a series of performing arts events presented across geographies, in celebration of diversity and inclusion as “One World One Family.”

For 2020, however, the TCFF is set to be unique because 30 award-winning full-length and short films, documentaries and dialogues from 15 countries will be presented online from December 3 to 12. And for free.

Here’s 10 more reasons why you should tune in to the TCFF!

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

1. There’s an Oscar contender.

Listen (2020; Portugal/UK), a portrayal of the tireless fight that immigrant parents wage against the law to keep their family together, was selected as Portugal’s Oscar entry for Best International Film last week.

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

2. The films are relevant then, relevant now.

Moral (1982; Philippines), by the late great Marilou Díaz-Abaya, features four female protagonists who contend with issues like rape, abortion and sexual freedom in a patriarchal society. Restored by ABS-CBN in 2017 as part of a project to digitally remaster select Filipino films, Moral is a timeless gem worth (re)discovering.

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

3. Some of these films are still banned in their home countries.

The Chess Game of the Wind (1976; Iran) has come a very long way indeed. Screened only twice in 1976 to a hostile audience and then presumed to have been lost after the Iranian revolution in 1979, it was accidentally discovered in a junk shop in 2014 by the children of filmmaker Mohammed Reza Aslani. Still banned in Iran, it was smuggled into Paris, where restoration work was overseen by Martin Scorsese’s non-profit organization, The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project. The Chess Game of the Wind is a gothic family tale about a paraplegic heiress who’s surrounded by predatory men and how she forms an alliance with her maid. It’s every bit as dramatic as its discovery, and certainly not to be missed.

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

4. Unique stories. 

Journey with Simone, a man with down syndrome who yearns for independence in Elsewhere, (2015; Italy) or see the world through the eyes of Alexander Zhuravlev, a photographer who, armed only with a smartphone and 2% of his residual vision, takes pictures as he travels the world in Over the Horizon (2017; Russia). Follow the lives of refugees who’ve left their homes even as uncertainty and danger may lie ahead in Dahdi (2014; Singapore) and Here Away (2019; Malaysia).

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

5. Powerful female characters.

Experience some strong performances by female directors and cast members in our film selections. There’s 37 Seconds (2019; Japan) which earned its director, Hikari, Best New Director, Asian Film Awards 2020, and its lead actress, Mei Kayama, Best New Performer (Mei Kayama), Faro Island Film Festival 2020. Then there’s Dahdi (2014; Singapore), by Kirsten Tan, Moral by the legendary Marilou Díaz-Abaya, and Talentime (2009; Malaysia), the final masterpiece by Yasmin Ahmad before her untimely passing.

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

6. A young, Singaporean curatorial team.

The curator is Singaporean filmmaker Tan Bee Thiam, whose film Tiong Bahru Social Club, premiered at the 25th Busan International Film Festival in October this year. His film is a quirky social commentary on tiny Singapore’s obsession with big data. Based in Singapore, Bee Thiam directed Kopi Julia and co-directed the film adaptation Fundamentally Happy. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents, Rotterdam Lab, and EAVE. Bee Thiam’s TCFF curatorial team also comprised Noor Mohamed Hakimi Bin Razmi and Ryan Choo Zong Xian, both students from Singapore Polytechnic, where he teaches.

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

7. Asian representation

There’s plenty of Asian representation at the True Colors Film Festival 2020. Not only does TCF offers a feast of films by Asian filmmakers, the stories told also spotlight the Asian experience and perspective. In the documentary Mental (2008; Japan), for example, see how patients and staff at a mental health clinic in Japan break with convention to openly discuss the shame and social anxiety of coping with mental illness.

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

8. Spotlight on disability.

TCFF’s launch date – 3 December – is also International Day of Persons with Disability (IDPD), observed around the world to promote the rights and well-being of the more than 1 billion people around the world living with disabilities. TCFF offers a selection of films to mark the date, and these include 37 Seconds about a comic artist in her 20s with cerebral palsy who’s trying to establish a career as an illustrator in the adult manga industry, The Soul of Sophanna’s Song (2017; Cambodia) one man’s will to live and serve against incredible odds, and who can forget Stand By Me Music Video (2020; Singapore) TCFF’s rendition of Ben E. King’s classic hit performed by 46 artists from 15 countries/regions, recorded and released online, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic?

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

9. Life comes to art.

The festival is curated around the theme, One World, One Family, so each of the films turn the spotlight on the universal experiences of connection, hope, dreams, struggle, and transformation. Our selection offers real and important stories that need to be seen and heard.

“We hope that the carefully curated film selection will deepen our understanding of what an inclusive world can be and equip us with the vocabulary and sensitivity to discuss social issues such as disability, so that these dialogues are captured and represented well,” TCFF curator Tan Bee Thiam said.

This post was copy and pasted from Eksentrika. 

10. It’s free to stream!

All TCFF films are available to stream for free. Feature films can be streamed via The Projector Plus – sign up for free. Features are available to viewers in most Asia-Pacific countries. Stream the Short films on True Colors Film Festival on Vimeo. Additional restrictions apply, visit Country Exclusions.

True Colors Film Festival 2020 runs online from December 3 to 12. For more information, visit the Festival Program.

Cover image by True Colors Film Festival.