From April 28 – May 5 , 2011, the 2011 Newport Beach Film Festival will showcase over 350 films from across the globe and host a wide array of multicultural events. Celebrated as Orange County’s premiere film event, the Newport Beach Film Festival attracts over 51,000 attendees from around the world who come together to experience the ultimate cinematic experience along the pristine coastline of Southern California.

Each year the Newport Beach Film Festival hosts nightly international spotlight events at Fashion Island. The Asian Showcase (May 2, 2011) will pay homage to the film industry and celebrate the extensive Asian history and culture whose influence has inspired many aspects of art across all mediums. The evening will feature three film screenings, followed by a gala celebration of Asian film, food and culture. In 2011, the Festival will spotlight three films from China, Korea, and Japan, which include Go Lola Go!, Harmony, and Redline. Here’s more about each film:

Go Lala Go – Buy tickets

Lala is a hardworking young woman who gets an entry level position at a Beijing company and slowly learns the ins and outs of the business world. As she starts moving up the corporate ladder she becomes involved in an illicit relationship with a co-worker. This soon becomes something that tests both of them and their resolve to either work or romance.

Harmony – Buy Tickets

At the time of her arrest, Jeong-hye was pregnant and ended up giving birth to her son in prison. Moon Ok was a collegiate musical professor but is now on death row for committing a crime caused by the abuse of her husband and mother-in-law. Jeon-hye makes a deal with the warden to form a choral group in order to spend one day outside with her son. Under the direction of Moon Ok, the women of the prison must put aside their differences and come together to form a successful choir.

Redline – Buy Tickets

Rev your engines, adrenaline junkies! Redline is a new feature from famed Madhouse studios that reunites animator Takeshi Koike (Ninja Scroll, Animatrix) with his long-time collaborator Katushito Ishii, who is the genius behind Funky Forest: The First Contact. This meeting of warped minds results in a mind-melting psychedelic assault that is easily the wildest animated Japanese film to surface in years.

Every five years, top drivers from across the universe participate in an underground racing competition to see who is the best of them all. The final stage in the competition is called Redline. The race isn’t just about driving skills ― it is about heavily modified cars with nitroglycerin boosters, crazy weapons, and robot appendages. This year, the competition is set to occur (illegally) on Roboworld, a bizarre militaristic planet whose leaders looks like they stepped out of a Jack Kirby comic book.