The Asian Film Festival of Dallas celebrates its 11th year from Thursday, July 12 through Thursday, July 19, 2012 at the Landmark’s Magnolia Theatre in the West Village in Dallas, Texas. The festival begins with the Texas Premiere of Opening Night Film ACE ATTORNEY, from fabled director Takashi Miike. Adapted from the popular videogame series, the film pits an untested lawyer against his most powerful adversaries while trying to solve a decades-old murder. The Southwest Premiere of Centerpiece Film SAYA-ZAMURAI (SCABBARD SAMURAI) comes from the unique mind and talent of Director Hitoshi Matsumoto (BIG MAN JAPAN, SYMBOL) mixes offbeat humor with touching drama. This period tale follows a disgraced samurai who faces death in 30-days unless he can make the grieving son of a clan leader laugh. Matsumoto’s antics are given a delicate treatment as his character dreams up wildly imaginative ways to cheer the young lord. As the days pass, the local citizens soon rally behind him. Another Southwest Premiere, the Closing Night Film is the much anticipated South Korean science-fiction anthology DOOMSDAY BOOK, co-directed by Kim Ji-woon (I SAW THE DEVIL) and Yim Pil-sung (HANSEL AND GRETEL, ANTARCTIC JOURNAL). The film has three distinctly different chapters, including: a zombie apocalypse brought about by a single piece of trash; a meditation on being and existence thanks to a robot that has a surprising case of enlightenment; and the end of the world, due largely to a young girl’s internet activity. One of the most soughtafter Asian films this year, DOOMSDAY BOOK promises to surprise and even charm you as it shows the Mayans how things really work.

This year’s non-competition highlights include several of the AFFD’s exclusive North American Premieres: Derek Yee’s THE GREAT MAGICIAN, a period mystery that pits warlords, revolutionaries and a shady businessman against a visiting magician with a secret. The Simon Yam/Nick Cheung thriller NIGHTFALL offers up a catand-mouse game between a seasoned detective and a paroled murderer. LET’S GO! combines gritty crime thriller with wild action and superhero worship makes what could be one of the coolest hybrids in AFFD history. And, the debut feature from Jiayi Du, ONE MILE ABOVE, is the heartwarming and inspiring (true) tale of a young man’s trek to the highest point in Tibet on a bicycle.

Amidst the primetime screenings, midnights, feature competition categories, short film blocks and a new student short program, the AFFD has not forgotten about the classics and brings a trio of Japanese masterpieces from Janus Films to the big screen. Celebrating their 50th anniversaries are both Akira Kurosawa’s SANJURO and Masaki Kobayashi’s HARA KIRI; but also the 1968 horror/fantasy KURONEKO, brought to the AFFD in a new 35mm print that stunningly highlights the film’s brilliant artistic achievement.

2012 Asian Film Festival of Dallas Trailer

2012 Asian Film Festival of Dallas Trailer #2