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Asia-Europe Cultural Festival 2022
The 4th edition of Asia-Europe Cultural Festival took place on 26 & 27 November 2022 at the Centre for Fine Arts-Bozar in Brussels, Belgium. The title of the festival, Cultures Connect, is embodied in ASEF's work as the organisation continues to support cultural connections between the peoples of Asia and Europe. Presenting film, dance, music, and dialogue, the festival is a platform for continued exchange and cooperation.
Amb. Toru MORIKAWA, ASEF Executive Director, Amb. Nong Sakal, Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the EU, and Mr Gunnar Wiegand, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service (EEAS) joined the opening of the festival.
On the first night, the festival hosted the premiere of the documentary film The Perfect Motion that traces the creation of a production by Cambodia’s royal dancers called Metamorphosis and the history of the Royal Ballet since 1906. Infused with a sacred and symbolic role, the Royal Ballet dance embodies the traditional values of refinement, respect and spirituality. Bringing Asian and European perspectives together, the film underscores the importance of appreciation for different cultures and celebrates the resilience of artists who firmly believed in their artistic expression. The filmmaker Xavier de Lauzanne, along with HRH Prince Tesso Sisowath, who was an Advisor for the development of the film, joined the screening and participated in a lively discussion with the audience.
On 27 November, the public forum What Future for Arts Festivals? brought together leading practitioners from Indonesia, Italy, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland. Festivals have been a powerful force in encouraging international artistic endeavours, showcasing cross-border cultural expressions, and fostering creative dialogues. Yet, today, arts festivals stand at a crossroad. In a post-pandemic world, they are faced with unprecedented social and economic challenges. What is the future of arts festivals as we look ahead?
The Festival closed with the dynamic duo from Spain. Vignesh Melwani, a singer-musician of Indian origin performed together with Carla González Ferrer in a free-form improvisation piece with influence of diverse musical genres. Improvisuals is a unique piece created with minimal and transcendental music blending influences from Indian classical to western classical, jazz, pop and Catalan music.
From 16 – 22 December, the Festival further showcased performances online. Junyi Sun from Kernel Dance Theatre (Spain) performed a solo dance performance titled Am I Bruce Lee. Through this tragicomic act, Junyi tried to address the subconscious bias of stereotypes and clichés carried by people of Chinese origin who are not from where they appear to be. In addition, the live recording of the panel discussion held onsite in Brussels on the future of arts festivals was shown online to reach a wider audience.
EVENTS CALENDAR
.jpg) | Saturday, 26 November 2022 |
 | Sunday, 27 November 2022 |
_OEI9NDN.jpg) | Sunday, 27 November 2022 |
 | 16-22 December 2022 Online Showcase culture360.ASEF.org |
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Asia-Europe Festival: 2022
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