The Home Song Stories
(Tony Ayres, Australia)
Synopsis: A Hong Kong nightclub singer (Joan Chen) and her children move through a string of relationships with men in 1960s Australia.
Prizes: Brisbane (Fipresci); Hawaii (narrative film); Australian Film Institute -- 14 nominations; Australian Writers Guild (best original screenplay); New South Wales Premier's Literary Award (screenplay)
Sales: Fortissimo

On the Wings of Dreams
(Golam Rabbany Biplob, Bangladesh)
Synopsis: The accidental discovery of some cash in a pants pocket triggers greed and longing in the mind of an herbal medicine peddler.
Prizes: Shanghai (director -- Asian New Talent)
Sales: MDC Intl.

The Knot
(Yin Li, China)
Synopsis: A sprawling melodrama, set in the turbulent 1940s and '50s, about an ill-fated love involving a young teacher and a rich dentist's daughter.
Prizes: Shanghai (special jury award); Huabiao Film Awards (film, director, screenplay, actor)
Production companies: China Film Group Corp./ China Movie Channel (China)/ Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Co. (Taiwan)/ Emperor Classic Films Co. (Hong Kong)

Exiled
(Johnnie To, Hong Kong)
Synopsis: A man has turned away from life in a gang, but his former hitmen colleagues aren't about to let him off the hook.
Prizes: Sitges (jury award); Golden Horse festival (special award); Hong Kong Film Critics Society (film, director)
U.S. distrib: Magnolia Pictures

Eklavya -- The Royal Guard
(Vidhu Vinod Chopra, India)
Synopsis: As a queen dies, her royal family festers, and the king becomes the target of an assassination while the stalwart titular royal guard roots out the bad guys.
U.S. distrib: Eros Intl.

Denias, Singing on the Cloud
(John De Rantau, Indonesia)
Synopsis: A boy from Papua Island ventures a long distance to attend a school but faces rampant prejudice once he arrives until he receives help from two new pals.
Prizes: Indonesia festival (actor, screenplay); Jakarta (Indonesian film); Asia-Pacific Screen Awards (children's feature).
Production company: Alenia Pictures

I Just Didn't Do It
(Masayuki Suo, Japan)
Synopsis: A young man with no crime record is wrongly accused of sexually harassing a Tokyo schoolgirl, and goes to trial to defend and clear his name. Suo's first film since "Shall We Dance?" 11 years ago.
Sales: Pony Canyon

Secret Sunshine
(Lee Chang-dong, Korea)
Synopsis: A mother grieving over a tragic loss responds by passionately embracing Pentecostal Christianity, bringing her to the brink of insanity.
Prizes: Cannes (actress); Asia-Pacific Screen Awards (film, actress); Korean Grand Bell awards (special award)
Sales: CJ Entertainment

Donsol
(Adolfo Alix Jr., Philippines)
Synopsis: A young tourist guide in the small fishing town of Donsol, where whale sharks visit annually offshore, falls in love with a lonely woman.
Prizes: Cinemalaya (actress, cinematography); Fort Lauderdale (Spirit of Independence award); Golden Screen Awards -- Philippines (breakthrough performance, cinematography)
Production company: Bicycle Pictures

881
(Royston Tan, Singapore)
Synopsis: A pair of singers specializing in Singapore's unique "getai" pop song culture team up for a crowdpleasing act.
Sales: Easternlight Films

Island Etude
(Chen Huai-en, Taiwan)
Synopsis: A hearing-impaired university student takes a bicycle road trip around the circumference of Taiwan, encountering strangers and friends along the way.
Sales: Arclight Films

King Naresuan
(Chatrichalerm Yukol, Thailand)
Synopsis: Epic tracing the rise of King Naresuan of Ayudhya, from boyhood to Thailand's supreme military hero as he quells threats from neighboring Burma.
Sales: Sahamongkol Film Intl.

The White Silk Dress
(Huynh Luu, Vietnam)
Synopsis: A hunchback and a servant girl make for an unconventional couple during Vietnam's tumultuous period from 1954 to 1966.
Prizes: Pusan (audience award -- New Currents); Golden Rooster (international film)
Sales: Vietnam Media Corp.