Asian Film Academy (AFA) is an education program where prospective filmmakers and established director from Asia gather to deliberrate and prepare for the future of Asian cinema. It’s a part of Busan International Film Festival.

G.Venu Madhav is in 3rd year of cinematography in Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute. He is selected to AFA as one of the 24 fellows for his work in his short film INFECTED. Venu is the story writer, Production designer and cinematographer of INFECTED.

In AFA, the selected fellows have to submit a script based on a theme chosen by AFA. Two films are made each year. This year’s theme was ‘STRANGE.’

Venu’s script ‘BLACK MIRROR’ was made into a short film during AFA and Venu has shot a film titled ‘DEPARTURE’ in AFA. Both the films were screened in Busan International Film Festival.

For past 8 years, 194 alumni from 29 countries graduated from AFA. Each year, they had unique experience of learning from established filmmakers in contemporary cinema such as Krzysztof Zanussi (Poland), Abbas Kiarostami (Iran), Kurosawa Kiyoshi (Japan), Im Kwon-taek (Korea), Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Iran), Hou Hsiao Hsien (Taiwan) and JIA Zhangke(China).

Lee Chang-dong has been appointed as the dean of this year’s Asian Film Academy.