ADFEST 2025 announces the Fabulous Five
ADFEST’s Fabulous Five, the five young directors who represent the future of filmmaking excellence, have been chosen. The judges assessed 26 scripts from 6 cities. The Fabulous Five represent the most impressive young directors and the scripts with the greatest storytelling potential, that bring a unique perspective to ADFEST’s 2025 theme, COLLiDE.
All Fabulous Five directors will be flown to Thailand to premiere and discuss their films on stage. ADFEST will provide return economy airfare, ground transportation, accommodation, and a full delegate registration to ADFEST 2025.
All ADFEST attendees will be able to see the films and hear the stories behind them at the Fabulous Five session on Friday 21 March, 11.50-13.00. In this immensely popular part of ADFEST, the young filmmakers of tomorrow reveal the storytelling skill and attention to their talent that propelled them to this prestigious position.
Automatic inclusion in the Young Directors Award
Like previous years, all Fabulous Five films will be automatically accepted for the Young Director Award (YDA), an award specifically dedicated to rising young directors. As The Short Films for ADFEST 2025 by the Fabulous Five is part of the New Director Award, two additional New Director Lotus winners will also be accepted to YDA.
Francois Chilot, President of the Young Director Award, commented, “The way we see and interpret the world is shaped to a great degree by culture, and this diversity is a gift to filmmaking. We deeply value our partnership with ADFEST, Asia’s most celebrated creative festival, and the opportunity to welcome its young winning directors into YDA’s international arena, offering them a platform for worldwide recognition. Our mission remains to elevate emerging talent and foster new perspectives in global storytelling, and we look forward to discovering this year’s Fabulous Five.”
New this year, the chance to screen at LA SHORTS
All Fabulous Five films will also be automatically shortlisted for consideration at the Academy Award® and BAFTA qualifying 2025 LA Shorts International Film Festival. LA Shorts Director and Founder, Robert Arentz, will also select one film from the shortlist to screen in-competition at the festival in July 2025.
“LA Shorts International Film Festival has a long history of showcasing emerging filmmakers from around the world, so it’s with great pleasure we welcome ADFEST Fabulous Five. We can’t wait to see the creative work from these directors. One standout will be selected to screen in our 2025 lineup. Great storytelling transcends boundaries. It unites us through shared human experiences, touching our very souls. These stories can come from anywhere and everywhere. We applaud ADFEST for fostering a platform where artists can create stories that inspire and impact all of us. We’re incredibly excited to share one of these stories to our film festival audience in Los Angeles. The Academy Award® and BAFTA qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival ranks among the most prestigious and largest international short film festivals in the world,” Robert Arentz stated.
The Fabulous Five 2025 and their films are:
“RINTIK” by Azlan Som, Assistant Director, Logic & Magic, Kuala Lumpur
“ICE” by Haruna Takahara, Director, HAT, Tokyo
“OBSTACLE” by Mayuka Kawamura, Director, AOI Pro., Tokyo
“IM PERFECTION” by Mika Sasaki, Director, TYO Inc., Tokyo
“YOUR DADDY” by Tomoya Matsushita, Director, AOI Pro., Tokyo
Azlan Som has built a career as a director, writer and producer, with an educational background in Film and TV from Malaysian arts college, ASWARA. He has worked with a number of production houses and recently focussed his attention on directing only, infusing into it his passion for a conceptual style of storytelling. His work explores psychological and societal themes, as well as human resilience and he is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of Malaysian cinema. He is currently working at Logic & Magic in Kuala Lumpur.
Haruna Takahara joined HAT, a commercial production company, in 2020 and began her career as a CM planner. In 2023, she was promoted to the director’s room after demonstrating her talents by winning the Grand Prix in the director category at the JAC AWARD, regarded as a stepping stone for young Japanese commercial directors. She also received the Sponsor’s Award at the Brain Online Video Award, aka BOVA, and was runner-up at the TikTok Film Festival in 2024.
Mayuka Kawamura is a director and planner. After graduating from the Department of Design at Tokyo University of the Arts, she studied under Professor Michihiko Yanai at the university’s Design Research Department, where she explored the collaboration between sound and visuals, primarily using hand-drawn animation, stop motion, and rotoscope techniques. Her past works include commercials for Nissan and Haagen-Dazs and was a finalist in the director category of Japan’s JAC Award.
Mika Sasaki is the youngest Fabulous Five finalist. She graduated from university only last year after studying English and American literature and began working as an assistant director in April 2024 at Tokyo production company, TYO.
Tomoya Matsushita graduated from Meiji University, Faculty of Information and Communication, Department of Information and Communication, and then joined AOI Pro. Inc., as a member of the Planning and Direction Department. He enjoys depicting the unreal within reality, in other words, the extraordinary within the ordinary. His past works include commercials for At Home Co. Ltd, Amazon Ads Japan and Panasonic Japan.
Wuthisak Anarnkaporn, Founder & Director of FACTORY 01, Bangkok, Jury President of the Film Craft Lotus and New Director Lotus, said: “This year, Japan has truly shone in both quantity and quality. The variety of works is impressive, and each piece showcases a clear artistic style right from the script, which is the most crucial element of filmmaking. My fellow jurors and I are excitedly looking forward to enjoying each director’s bold vision as they carry their scripts to the screen. For those who didn’t make it into the Fabulous Five this year, I encourage you to stay passionate and determined. Keep continuing on the path toward your meaningful journey.”
Don’t miss the Fabulous Five session on Friday 21 March, 11.50-13.00, to meet the five emerging directorial talents, view their work and hear their stories.
ADFEST is Asia’s only international creative festival. COLLiDE at ADFEST 2025 takes place Thursday 20 – Saturday 22 March 2025 at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.
ADFEST 2025, a three-day event taking place Thursday 20 – Saturday 22 March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group, Pattaya, Thailand, brings together the industry’s top minds, rising stars and most innovative ideas.
Find more information on all delegate fees and packages, click here.
ADFEST is a not-for profit entity that believes passionately in its role to nurture and support the creative industry in the Asia Pacific and MENA region. It is 1 of 12 awards included in the Campaign Brief Asia Creative Rankings.