Nakata, helmer of the original version of “The Ring,” will be on hand in the Northern Italian city for the international preem of “L,” a spinoff of his hit "Death Note" duo of fantasy thrillers. “L” has done boffo biz at its home box office since opening in February.

Udine fest, now in its 10th frame, will feature a rich 62-pic lineup, including the world preem of “Lost Indulgence,” a coming of age drama by Chinese helmer Zhang Yibai (“Curiosity Kills the Cat”), which will be unspooling in Tribeca in May.

The international preem of promising young Hong Kong helmer Pang Ho-cheung’s comedy “Trivial Matters,” a spotlight on Japan’s Satoshi Miki, including the international bow of his “Adrift in Tokyo,” and South Korean serial killer pic “Our Town,” set on the border between the two Koreas, by tyro helmer Jung Kil-young, are among other highlights.

Hot Hong Kong helmer and producer Johnnie To, an Udine aficionado, will be making the trek with his musical comedy “Sparrow.”

Udine will pay tribute to late Korean master Shin Sang-ok, known as South Korea’s Orson Welles, with screenings of four of his lesser known works, including “Confessions of a College Student,” about a female student caught up in a scam to get into law school. This 1958 melodrama has never previously unspooled outside Korea.

A high-profile confab on East/West co-productions will be attended by, among others, CAA China topper Peter Loehr, Celluloid Dreams chief Hengameh Panahi, Fortissimo’s Wouter Barendrecht and Venice fest topper Marco Mueller, who is also a producer. The session is moderated by Variety's Asia editor Patrick Frater.

Non.-competitive nine-day event started out in 1988 as a Hong Kong cinema showcase, but has since expanded its horizons to films from 11 different regions, including the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and — for the first time this year — Vietnam and Indonesia.

Comments (3)