In celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) in 2012, the Foundation commissioned the publication When Strangers Meet. Visions of Asia and Europe in Film. This selection of articles and film reviews, curated by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC), spans an interesting chapter of history of the moving image and provides an unparalleled insight into the way in which Asian and Europeans have viewed each other over the course of the past century.
Having spent the past 15 years promoting mutual understanding between the peoples of Europe and Asia, ASEF has become acutely aware of the power of cinema as a medium of cross-cultural communication and social expression.
Over the course of its lifetime, ASEF’s involvement with the moving image has ranged from organising training and networking opportunities for young filmmakers, to the promotion of research and development into the science and history of film. Since 2004, ASEF has also developed an online platform dedicated to the exchange of ideas between Asian and European cinematographers, film.culture360.org, as part of its main cultural exchange portal culture360.org.