News

The 27th Taipei Film Awards Ceremony took place on the evening of July 5 at the Zhongshan Hall in Taipei City. The highly anticipated Grand Prize, with a cash award of Nt$1 million, was awarded to the documentary Island of the Winds. The jury praised the film as more than just a documentary—calling it a cinematic memory of Taiwan’s land.

Wanlop Rungkumjad won Best Actor for his performance in Mongrel, making history as the first non-Taiwanese recipient of this award. The film won three awards in total, tying as the biggest winner of the night alongside Yen and Ai-Lee, Island of the Winds, and Dead Talents Society. Alexia Kao received the Best Actress award for her powerful portrayal in Family Matters, marking her first win at the Taipei Film Awards.

Island of the Winds

The jury selected one winner from each major category—Narrative Feature, Documentary, Short Film, and...

A Journey In Spring Photo: Queer East

Best Director award winners at Tribeca 2023 for their film A Journey In Spring, Peng Tzu-hui and Wang Ping-wen are continuing to present it on the festival circuit, with its latest screening being at the Queer East film festival, which showcases LGBTQ+ related work from Asia. Although this may seem to be a secondary theme in their film – the central characters’ son is in a same sex relationship – that detail has a significant effect on the central relationship and how the characters fit into society.

Khim-hok (King Jieh-wen) and Siù-tuān (Yang Kuei-mei) appear at first glance to be a couple who hate each other, but when Siù-tuān dies, Khim-hok is so distraught that he keeps her body in the freezer as he mentally works back through key moments in their shared past in search of understanding. It’s a thoughtful portrait of late life experiences,...

To live next to a waterfall is to become so familiar with its constant roar that it’s only when parted from it that one really understands its majesty; and then, the silence is dizzying.

There was a beautiful waterfall in the place where she grew up, Siù-tuān (Yang Kuei-mei) recalls. She kept meaning to go back and visit it. Perhaps it was something she couldn’t reasonably afford to do –we see how arduous her working life is, gathering plastic bottles to sell to a recycling plant for just a small amount of money – but more likely it was something she just didn’t get around to, thinking that she would do it sometime in the future, until age and illness closed in around her and the future disappeared.

Peng Tzu-hui and Wang Ping-wen’s gently placed, soulful film, which won them a joint Best Director awards at San Sebastian in 2023 and.

Six years after the release of acclaimed Taiwanese series The World Between Us, a sequel titled The World Between Us: After the Flames will premiere on June 7 on Amazon Prime Video, as well as on streaming platform Catchplay+, Taiwan’s local broadcaster Pts and Iqiyi.

Building on the spirit of its predecessor, the second season features a new storyline and fresh cast.

The cast is headed by Vic Chou (Meteor Garden), Hsueh Shih-ling (Taiwan Crime Stories), Hsieh Hsin-ying (The Assassin), Yang Kuei-Mei (Yen and Ai-Lee) and Yu Tzu-Yu.

Lin Chun-yang, director of the first season, has returned to direct the sequel after also working on Gold Leaf and Netflix’s Wave Makers.

The series will co-premiere in Taiwan on Pts and Catchplay Movie Channel, as well as stream on Catchplay+, Pts+ and Iqiyi International. After the Flames will also stream on Catchplay+ in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as on...

Veteran screenwriter Ko Shu-ching, mostly known for her collaborations with Lin Cheng-sheng, developed her own story in 1990, which was finally brought to the screen two decades later. The narrative unfolds in the early 1990s in Lishan, a mountainous region 2,000 meters above sea level in Taiwan.

Echo is available from Echelon Studios

This is where university student A-Ying returns to visit her father, Chen Tian-yao, who runs a fertilizer shop. She carries with her a personal secret that no one knows about. During her stay, she becomes aware of the subtle tensions between her father and his rival Wang, who profits by diluting fertilizer and undercutting prices, while many local fruit farmers still rely on chicken manure. Tian-yao also regularly argues with his second wife, Yi-ching, who is heavily pregnant. Their disagreements often center on his treatment of the struggling farmers. Yet despite their quarrels, there is genuine affection between them,...

John Steinbeck once wrote, “To be alive at all is to have scars.” What happens to us does not disappear; we just learn to live with it. This is especially true of familial trauma, which significantly impacts the person we become. Premiered in Busan, Tom Lin‘s “Yen and Ai-Lee (2024)” is a monochromatic drama about confronting the wounds of our blood ties.

Yen and Ai-Lee is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema

The story opens in Meinong with an intriguing prologue: a young woman (Hsia Kimi) on a bike, covered in blood, rides to the police station. Eight years later, this woman is released from prison for a crime that will be gradually revealed throughout the film. Her name is Yen, and she returns to her storekeeper mother’s (Yang Kuei-mei) new house after serving her time. Their relationship, scarred by a troubling family past, is overwhelmingly distant. A bond...

The 18th annual Asian Film Awards (Afa) announced the winners and special award recipients at a ceremony held at the West Kowloon Cultural District’s Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong on March 16, 2025. Sixteen competitive prizes and five honorary prizes were given out. The Afa ceremony featured a glamorous Red Carpet and Award Ceremony attracting participants from all over Asia, and was a great success. At this year’s Afa, the Hong Kong actor-director Sammo Hung served as the jury president leading other jury and voting members composed of filmmakers from around the world in selecting the winners. Daishi Matsunaga, along with fellow director Stanley Kwan, served as presenters.

Here are all the awards and nominees of this year’s edition

Best Film

All We Imagine as Light (India, France, Netherlands, Luxembourg)

Black Dog (Mainland China)

Exhuma (South Korea)

Teki Cometh (Japan)

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Hong Kong)

Best...

Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light was named best film at 18th Asian Film Awards on Sunday evening (March 16).

The Indian filmmaker attended the ceremony in Hong Kong and accepted the award from filmmaker, martial arts star and Afa jury president Sammo Hung.

Scroll down for full list of winners

It marked nearly 10 months since Kapadia became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix at Cannes, where the film was the first Indian feature to play in Competition at the festival for 30 years.

“I’m so happy that we could end our journey here in Hong Kong,...

All We Imagine As Light took home top honors at the 18th Asian Film Awards (Afa), winning the Best Film prize.

Held at the Grand Theatre at the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong, this year’s Afa selection was overseen by legendary Hong Kong actor and Afa jury president Sammo Hung.

“It is a special thing to win this award in Hong Kong, which is also a special place for cinema,” said All We Imagine As Light director Payal Kapadia. “Filmmaking is so challenging. Every film that gets made is a prize. To find the financing and the right collaborators, to keep the vision intact, even distributing the movie — everything is a challenge. But doing it with a wonderful crew makes everything easier.”

Japanese filmmaker Daihachi Yoshida won Best Director for black-and-white absurdist comedy Teki Cometh.

Sean Lau won Best Actor for his role in Papa, directed by Philip Yung.

Payal Kapadia’s Indian co-production “All We Imagine as Light” won best film at the 18th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, capping a remarkable journey that began with a Grand Prix win at Cannes last year.

Yoshida Daihachi won best director for “Teki Cometh,” while Sean Lau won best actor for “Papa” and Shahana Goswami best actress for “Santosh.” Sandhya Suri won best new director for “Santosh,” capping a strong year for Indian co-productions at the awards, where the country has been a bridesmaid in recent years.

Honors were evenly spread otherwise, with “Exhuma,” “Stranger Eyes” and “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” all collecting a brace of awards each.

Proceedings kicked off with a performance featuring the composer of the film that is the toast of Asia at the moment – “Ne Zha 2,” Chu Wan Pin, alongside Jonathan Wong.

During the awards, Dr. Wilfred Wong, chair of the Asian Film Awards Academy,...

John Steinbeck once wrote, “To be alive at all is to have scars.” What happens to us does not disappear; we just learn to live with it. This is especially true of familial trauma, which significantly impacts the person we become. Premiered in Busan, Tom Lin‘s “Yen and Ai-Lee (2024)” is a monochromatic drama about confronting the wounds of our blood ties.

Yen and Ai-Lee is screening at Cinemasia

The story opens in Meinong with an intriguing prologue: a young woman (Hsia Kimi) on a bike, covered in blood, rides to the police station. Eight years later, this woman is released from prison for a crime that will be gradually revealed throughout the film. Her name is Yen, and she returns to her storekeeper mother‘s (Yang Kuei-mei) new house after serving her time. Their relationship, scarred by a troubling family past, is overwhelmingly distant. A bond further complicated by her mother’s new partner,...

Osaka Asian Film Festival (Oaff) has announced the rest of its programme with an additional 37 feature-length entries and 2 shorts. This includes 13 titles in the Competition section, 6 titles in the Spotlight section and 9 titles in the Indie Forum section. With the previously-announced 28 works, 67 features and shorts in total –19 World, 5 International, 4 Asian, 32 Japan Premieres – will be screened at the 20th edition of Oaff, which will be held from March 14 to 23, 2025.

Competition

There are 13 titles competing for Oaff 2025’s Grand Prix, many coming in hot with festival and awards buzz and many familiar names to Oaff audiences as filmmakers return with their latest works.

Amongst the filmmakers taking a bow once again are Hwang In-won with her feature film debut Journey to Face Them, a subtle portrait of the insidious effects of sexual assault as experienced by an aspiring writer, and Park Ri-woong with The Land of Morning Calm, a tale of a...

South Korea’s Exhuma has topped the field, earning 11 nominations at the 18th Asian Film Awards, followed by Hong Kong’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In with nine nominations.

Hong Kong martial arts legend Sammo Hung will serve as the jury president for the awards, which feature a selection of 30 films from 25 countries and regions, competing across 16 categories. The awards ceremony will take place on March 16 in Hong Kong.

Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, Exhuma gained nominations for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Newcomer, Best Screenplay, Best Original Music, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

Adapted from the novel “City of Darkness” by Yuyi, Hong Kong action blockbuster Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In gained nine nominations, including Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

South Korean box office hit Exhuma and Hong Kong action blockbuster Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In lead the nominations for the 18th Asian Film Awards, with a jury led by martial arts icon Sammo Hung.

Supernatural thriller Exhuma, directed by Jang Jae-hyun, leads the pack with 11 nods followed by Soi Cheang’s action thriller Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, which received nine nominations.

Scroll down for full list of nominations

Both titles were named in the best film category alongside Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine As Light; Guan Hu’s Chinese drama Black Dog,...

The 18th Asian Film Awards, the region’s leading cinema honors, unveiled its 2025 nominations Friday, with South Korea’s horror hit Exhuma leading the pack with 11 nods. Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, the supernatural thriller melds feng shui and shamanistic traditions in a haunting narrative about an ominous grave. The movie was both a critical favorite and a huge theatrical sensation in South Korea, becoming the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. Alongside its best film nomination, the film earned recognition across several major categories, including best director, best actor for Choi Min-sik and best actress for Kim Go-eun.

The Asia Film Awards will return to Hong Kong on March 16 with a glitzy ceremony at the city’s Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District. This year’s lineup of honorees includes 30 films from 25 countries and regions, spanning 16 competitive categories.

The Hong Kong throwback action epic Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,...

Martial arts legend Sammo Hung has been tapped as jury president for the 18th Asian Film Awards, while South Korean supernatural thriller “Exhuma” and Hong Kong action pic “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” dominate the nominations.

South Korean supernatural thriller “Exhuma,” helmed by director Jang Jae-hyun and marking the return of veteran actor Choi Min-sik, leads with 11 nods including best film, director, actor and actress. The film weaves elements of feng shui and traditional shamanism in its story of an ominous grave investigation.

Hong Kong action film “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” follows with nine nominations. Based on Yuyi’s “City of Darkness” novel and set in the 1980s Kowloon Walled City, the film is competing for best film, supporting actor and multiple technical awards.

Soi Cheang’s Hong Kong action film “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” follows with nine nominations. Based on Yuyi’s “City of Darkness...

From the highly-anticipated third and final season of Netflix’s industry-defining Squid Game series, to the sequels for thought-provoking breakout shows like Taiwan’s The World Between Us and Indonesia’s Santri Pilihan Bunda, here are the shows out of Asia to look out for in 2025. Add your own thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.

‘Squid Game’ Season 3 (Netflix)

Korea

Even before the second season of Netflix’s most successful series premiered on December 26, the streamer announced that a third and final season of the Korean series is already in the works and will release in 2025. The second season of the drama sees Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), who was Player 456 in the first season, searching for the people behind the brutal survival game, three years after winning the ₩45.6 billion prize bounty. Who knows what Season 3 might entail. Though reviews have been mixed, another run so close behind is an exciting prospect.

Singapore director Chiang Wei Liang and co-director Yin You Qiao’s “Mongrel,” a portrayal of disenfranchised migrant workers in Taiwan, won Best Asian Feature Film at the 35th Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff).

The jury praised the film’s “dense, shadowy and violent world” and its innovative approach to depicting contemporary issues of forced migration. The film has previously won awards at the Cannes and the Golden Horse festivals and at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

Lou Ye’s “An Unfinished Film” won the newly-revised Audience Choice Award. The docufiction drama follows a director attempting to complete a decade-old project during the Covid-19 pandemic, blending footage from Lou’s previous films with new material. The film previously won Golden Horse and Tokyo FILMeX awards.

In the Asian Feature Film Competition, Vietnamese filmmaker Truong Minh Quy received Best Director for “Viet and Nam,” a queer love story about two coal miners facing separation.

The 35th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) concluded with its highest-ever box office earnings. Total ticket sales saw a 10% increase from last year’s edition, with attendance numbers also surpassing the previous edition’s record.

At the festival’s Silver Screen Awards, Mongrel, directed by Singapore’s Chiang Wei Liang and Yin You Qiao, clinched the award for Best Asian Feature Film, for its “stark portrayal of disenfranchised migrant workers in Taiwan.”

The Audience Choice Award went to Lou Ye’s Covid docufiction drama An Unfinished Film.

The Southeast Asian Short Film award went to Thai director Thaweechok Phasom’s Spirits of the Black Leaves, for its “poetic exploration of how an individual’s life is connected to the roots of nature and history.”

Singaporean filmmaker Calleen Koh won the Best Singapore Short Film award for animated short My Wonderful Life, which follows a burnt-out mum who...

The 35th Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) opened on the evening of 28 November, setting the stage for a vibrant celebration of Asian cinema. Held at the iconic Capitol Theatre, the evening saw the Southeast Asian premiere of Singaporean director Yeo Siew Hua‘s award-winning psychological thriller Stranger Eyes, marking the first of 105 films from over 48 countries — 80% of which are from Asia — to be showcased during the festival.

The evening’s red carpet was graced by Guest of Honour President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Distinguished Guest Minister Josephine Teo, as well as Stranger Eyes director Yeo Siew Hua and cast members Lee Kang-sheng, Wu Chien-ho, and Xenia Tan. Lee was also honoured with the festival’s Screen Icon Award, which pays homage to an actor’s exceptional contributions to bringing Asian stories to life on screen.

Other stars, including Sgiff’s inaugural festival ambassador Mediacorp Artiste Rebecca Lim, and the Small Hours of the Night team,...

Lou Ye’s Wuhan-set Covid drama An Unfinished Film took top honours at the 61st Golden Horse Awards, winning both best film and best director, while fellow mainland Chinese director Geng Jun’s LGBTQ+ black comedy Bel Ami won a hat-trick of prizes including best actor.

John Hsu’s Taiwanese supernatural comedy Dead Talents Society snatched the most prizes, walking away with five awards mostly in the technical categories.

Scroll down for full list of winners

The best narrative feature award for An Unfinished Film was presented by Golden Horse Awards chairman, renowned DoP Mark Lee Ping-bing and Hong Kong New Wave director Patrick Tam.

Winner of Best Director at San Sebastian, along with a number of other awards in festivals around the world, “A Journey in Spring” is a distinctly art-house film that focuses on grief and the (inter) personal issues families and married couples face, even in their old age.

A Journey in Spring is screening at Five Flavours

Aging married couple Khim-Hok and Siu-Tuan leave a meager life in the wooded hills outside Taipei, where they fight, bicker and in general feel the misery of their life and age. An issue with the plumbing of the house and their disagreement over the way to fix it highlights their situation, with their interactions being dominated by irony, sarcasm, and an overall lack of patience and communication, which mostly seem to derive from the husband. However, when Siu-Tan dies unexpectedly, Khim-Hok finds himself at intense loss, keeping her body in an old freezer, remembering his past with her,...

The highly anticipated 2025 flagship Taiwanese series The World Between Us II held its grand teaser premiere on November 6, 2024 on the main stage of the 2024 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf). Reuniting the award-winning original team, this new chapter presents a fresh cast and storyline, with Golden Bell Awards-winning producer Jayde Lin, acclaimed writer Lu Shih-yuan, and celebrated director Lin Chun-yang leading the project. Leading actors Vic Chou (Meteor Garden) and Hsueh Shih-ling (Taiwan Crime Stories), alongside rising stars Liu Tzu-chuan and Ryan Pai (Old Fox), attended the premiere event, where the latest teaser was unveiled to much excitement.

The teaser announcement at Tccf drew industry professionals and media from Taiwan and abroad, eager for a first look at The World Between Us II. Shaped by five years of script development and an expanded production scale, the two-minute teaser revealed a 20-year storyline following six intertwined families affected by incidents like a police stabbing,...

Taiwanese stars Vic Chou and Hsueh Shih-ling and rising talents Liu Tzu-chuan and Ryan Pai, will headline the cast of the second series of hit local series The World Between Us for Taipei-based production and sales company Screenworks Asia, the production subsidiary of Catchplay.

Chou, well known for Meteor Garden, and Shih-ling, who won best supporting actor for Taiwan Crime Stories at last year’s Asia Contents Awards & Global Ott awards (Aca & G.Ott) in Busan, took to the stage on the second day of the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) on November 7. Yang Kuei-mei and Hsieh Hsin-ying, who were not present at the event,...

It was standing room only as the follow-up to 2019 Taiwanese series “The World Between Us” debuted its teaser at Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf), with “Meteor Garden” star Vic Chou leading an ensemble cast.

The series, set for a 2025 release, comes after five years of script development. The story opens with an arson case and explores themes of choice, healing, and gaps in social support systems, drawing inspiration from judicial cases.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The two-minute preview introduced a sprawling narrative spanning two decades and following six families impacted by various incidents including a police stabbing, a train derailment and parliamentary confrontation.

Director Lin Chun Yang, who returns alongside Golden Bell Award-winning producer Jayde Lin and writer Lu Shih Yuan, likened the production scale to “producing three dramas at once.”

Chou portrays Ma Yi-sen, a character dealing with the loss of his wife and child in an accident. “Ma Yi-sen is a heavy,...

The 35th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival has unveiled its full lineup, which features 105 films from 45 countries, with 80% of the selections hailing from Asia.

Held from 28 November to 8 December, the festival will hold special gala presentations for two films, The Fable and The Unseen Sister, with selected talents from each film in attendance.

International highlights this year include the horror-comedy Nightbitch featuring Amy Adams, The Shrouds by David Cronenberg, Grand Tour by Cannes-award winning director Miguel Gomes, and a newly restored version of Bong Joon-ho’s debut feature Barking Dogs Never Bite, which will have its international premiere at Sgiff.

The festival will also present the Screen Icon Award, which recognises exceptional Asian talents, to Yang Kuei-mei and Lee Kang-sheng.

For the first time, each festival section will have an opening film that embodies the spirit of its category, with all of them hail from the Asian region.

Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has unveiled the full programme for its 35th edition, which includes honorary awards for Taiwanese actors Lee Kang-sheng and Yang Kuei-mei, and the launch of a Sgiff Industry Days conference.

Set to run from November 28 - December 8, the festival will continue to champion local and regional voices, with Asian cinema representing 80% of the line-up. The full selection comprises 105 films from 45 countries and features recurring themes of migration and displacement as well as the influence of technology on the medium of film.

The Asian Feature Film Competition, the festival’s main competition section, showcases nine features by promising directors across Asia,...

The Singapore International Film Festival is marking its 35th edition with 105 films from 45 countries, with Asian titles comprising 80% of the program.

Running Nov. 28-Dec. 8, the fest will host three world premieres of Singapore features, including Ong Keng-Sen’s “The House of Janus,” Wong Chen-Hsi’s “City of Small Blessings,” adapted from Simon Tay’s novel, and Jason Soo’s documentary “Al Awda.”

Among the international highlights are Amy Adams-starrer “Nightbitch,” David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” and a restored version of Bong Joon-ho’s feature debut “Barking Dogs Never Bite.”

Two special gala presentations are scheduled: Raam Reddy’s “The Fable,” starring Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee, and Myanmar-born Taiwanese filmmaker Midi Z’s “The Unseen Sister,” featuring Zhao Liying and Xin Zhilei.

The fest will present its Screen Icon Award to Taiwanese talents Yang Kuei-mei and Lee Kang-sheng. Yang, a four-time Sgiff performance award winner, recently appeared in “Yen and Ai-Lee,...

John Hsu’s Taiwanese supernatural comedy Dead Talents Society has scored 11 nominations for the 61st Golden Horse Awards, followed by Tom Lin’s Yen And Ai-Lee and Geng Jun’s Bel Ami, with eight nods each.

Dead Talents Society and Bel Ami are among the five films competing in the best film category, along with Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, Yeo Siew Hua’s Stranger Eyes and Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film. The same five films are also running in the best director category.

They reflect the overall representation at this year’s Golden Horse Awards, with the participation of Hong Kong,...

John Hsu’s horror comedy Dead Talents Society heads the race for this year’s Golden Horse Awards with 11 nominations, including Best Narrative Feature, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Sandrine Pinna.

The film, set in a fictional underworld where ghosts can linger in the mortal realm by competing to haunt humans, is produced by Taiwan’s Activator Co, Sony Pictures International Productions and several other local companies.

It was followed in the awards race by Tom Lin’s Yen And Ai-Lee and Geng Jun’s Bel Ami, which both received eight nominations.

Dead Talents Society and Bel Ami are both nominated for Best Narrative Feature, along with Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, Yeo Siew-hua’s Stranger Eyes and Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film. All five of these films are also nominated for Best Director.

Best Leading Actor nominations include King Jieh-wen (A...

The 29th Busan International Film Festival, held Oct 2 (Wed) to Oct 11 (Fri), has revealed its selections for the Asian film competition section, ‘New Currents‘ and ‘Jiseok.

New Currents is the representative competition section of the Busan International Film Festival, focusing on the first or the second feature of emerging Asian filmmakers. This year, 10 films, including two Korean films, have been selected to be showcased. The two Korean films are The Land of Morning Calm and Waterdrop. The Land of Morning Calm is directed by Park Ri-woong, whose first feature, The Girl on a Bulldozer (2022), received great acclaim. It dynamically unravels the story of a young fisherman’s disappearance and an old captain mysteriously involved in this case. Waterdrop is the debut feature of director Choi Jongyong. It portrays the survival journey of a thirteen-year-old child left alone in the world, capturing a range of emotions and an intense, suspenseful narrative.

The 29th Busan International Film Festival has revealed the line-ups for its competitive New Currents and Jiseok sections, which include the latest features from award-winning filmmakers Brillante Mendoza, Rima Das and Tom Lin.

The Jiseok strand, launched in 2022, is reserved for Asian filmmakers who have directed at least three features and this year comprises eight titles.

Scroll down for full list of titles

They include Motherland by Filipino director Mendoza, which explores the bloody Mamasapano incident of 2015, when 44 police commandos and more than 20 others were killed in a deadly operation. The filmmaker has previously played in competition at Berlin, Cannes...

Winner of Best Director at San Sebastian, along with a number of other awards in festivals around the world. “A Journey in Spring” is a distinctly art-house film that focuses on grief and the (inter) personal issues families and married couples face, even in their old age.

A Journey in Spring screened at Mulan International Film Festival

Aging married couple Khim-Hok and Siu-Tuan leave a meager life in the wooded hills outside Taipei, where they fight, bicker and in general feel the misery of their life and age. An issue with the plumbing of the house and their disagreement over the way to fix it highlights their situation, with their interactions being dominated by irony, sarcasm, and an overall lack of patience and communication, which mostly seem to derive from the husband. However, when Siu-Tan dies unexpectedly, Khim-Hok finds himself at intense loss, keeping her body in an old freezer,...

Island View

The Taipei Film Festival has set “A Journey in Spring” as the Taiwan flagbearer in its international competition section. Directed by Peng Tzu-hui and Wang Ping-wen, the film was shot on Super 16 mm film stock and stars King Jieh-wen and Yang Kuei-mei. The festival runs June 21-July 6 at the Zhongshan Hall, Vieshow Cinema Xinyi and Spot-Huashan Cinemas.

Its other competition titles include: “Beyond the Fog,” by Murase Daichi; “Brief History of a Family,” by Lin Jianjie; “Encounters,” by Dmitry Moiseev; “The Featherweight,” by Robert Kolodny; “Foremost by Night,” by Víctor Iriarte; “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” by Ariane Louis-Seize; “My Sunshine,” by Okuyama Hiroshi; “Scream,” by Kenzhebek Shaikakov; and “Who Do I Belong To,” by Meryam Joobeur.

The winners of the new talent competition will be decided by a jury that is headed by mainland Chinese director and multiple Berlinale Silver Bear winner Wang Xiaoshuai. Other jurors...

Awards News

Hit crime thriller “The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon” received 13 nominations for the upcoming Taipei Film Festival’s Taipei Film Awards. These include nominations for best feature, best director, best screenplay, best actor, best supporting actress, and best supporting actor. It was followed by “Old Fox” with ten nominations and “Big,” with eight.

The film tells the story of a gangster who discovers that he is only the country’s third most wanted criminal and, before he dies, sets out to eliminate those ranking above him.

The best film contenders are “Salli,” “Trouble Girl,” “Big,” “Old Fox” and “The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon.”

The best actor nominees include Frederick Lee for “Fish Memories,” Bai Run-yin for “Old Fox,” Vic Chou for “Be With Me,” Ethan Juan for “The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon” and King Jieh-wen for “A Journey in Spring.” The best actress...

Whereas his early films such as “Pushing Hands” and “The Wedding Banquet” often touch upon the crossroads between modernity and tradition, Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee found himself in a similar situation with his third film. As he reflects upon the production of his 1994 “Eat Drink Man Woman”, he describes how he felt the pressure between going mainstream with his movies or making an arthouse film, especially after winning the Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival for “The Wedding Banquet”. Considering this situation, it seems only fitting he would make a film which would not only pick up the thematic threads of his previous ones, but which would also discuss these issues within the circle of the family, their relationships and, of course, the world of cooking.

Eat Drink Man Woman is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema

Even though he has been planning to settle down...

Thai drama Solids By The Seashore has been acquired by Japanese distributor Foggy Cinema from Bangkok-based sales agent Diversion.

The film, which won the Netpac Award and LG Oled New Currents Award at Busan in October, will receive its Japanese premiere in competition at the Osaka Asian Film Festival on March 7. It marks the first time Foggy Cinema has picked up a film for distribution from Thailand and a theatrical release is being planned for late 2024.

Thai director Patiparn Boontarig’s debut feature set in a southern town in Thailand on the verge of an environmental crisis and revolves around...

Singapore producer Jeremy Chua, who produced this year’s Cannes Camera d’Or winner Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell, has been appointed general manager of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff).

Chua takes up the post on January 1, 2024, and will jointly lead the festival with Programme Director Thong Kay Wee. Emily J Hoe is stepping down after delivering four editions of the festival, including two that were severely impacted by the pandemic.

Founder of Singapore-based production outfit Potocol, Chua also produced or co-produced Nicole Midori Woodford’s Last Shadow At First Light, Jow Zhi Wei’s Tomorrow Is A Long Time, Makbul Mubarak’s Autobiography and Bui Thac Chuyen’s Glorious Ashes.

He was presented with the Fiapf Award for outstanding contribution to Asia Pacific Cinema at this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia.

Sgiff wrapped on December 10 with Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell, directed by Vietnam’s Pham Thien An,...

Chua was lead producer on ‘Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell’.

Jeremy Chua, producer of Cannes award-winning feature Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell, has been appointed general manager of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff).

The announcement coincided with the closing of a bumper edition of Sgiff, where Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell was named best Asian feature film at the Silver Screen Awards.

Chua will assume the role on January 1 and jointly lead the festival with Thong Kay Wee, who has been programme director since 2021. Emily J Hoe is stepping down as executive director after delivering four editions since 2020.

Chua...

Pham Thien An’s “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” which previously won the Golden Camera at Cannes, has won the Asian Feature Film Competition at the 34th Singapore International Film Festival.

Yoon Eun-Kyung won best director for “The Tenants,” which also won the Fipresci award. “Dreaming & Dying,” by Singaporean director Nelson Yeo earned a special mention. Yu Yi-Hsun won best screenplay for “A Journey in Spring” and the film also won best performance for Yang Kuei-Mei.

The Audience Choice Award went to “Goodbye Julia” by Mohamed Kordofani.

In the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, the best Southeast Asian short film was awarded to “The River That Never Ends” by J.T. Trinidad, which also scored a special mention for actor Emerald Romero. “I Look Into the Mirror and Repeat to Myself” by Giselle Lin won best Singapore short film. Best director went to Sam Manacsa for “Cross My Heart and...

’Fired Up!’ and the sequel to ’The World Between Us’ are set to start production in December.

Taiwan-based Damou Entertainment revealed two new drama series in collaboration with HBO Asia, Public Television Service (Pts) and Catchplay in celebration of its 10th anniversary during the ongoing Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf).

Both Fired Up! and the sequel to The World Between Us are set to start production in December.

Adapted from the hit Korean Kakao webtoon Itaewon Class created by GwangJin, Fired Up! marks Damou Entertainment’s third collaboration with Warner Bros Discovery, following The World Between Us and Workers, both...

’Fired Up!’ and the sequel to ’The World Between Us’ are set to start production in December.

Taiwan-based Damou Entertainment today (November 8) revealed two new drama series in collaboration with HBO Asia, Public Television Service (Pts) and Catchplay in celebration of its 10th anniversary during the ongoing Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf).

Both Fired Up! and the sequel to The World Between Us are set to start production in December.

Adapted from the hit Korean Kakao webtoon Itaewon Class created by GwangJin, Fired Up! marks Damou Entertainment’s third collaboration with Warner Bros Discovery, following The World Between Us and Workers,...

Taiwanese production companies DaMou Entertainment and Koko Entertainment unveiled a starry local cast for “Fired Up,” their Taiwan remake of hit Korean series “Itaewon Class.”

At an event held within the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) on Thursday, the two companies also confirmed plans for a second season of “The World Between Us,” a 2019 drama series that premiered on Taiwan’s Public Television Service and regional streamer Catchplay.

“Fired Up” will star Mandarin-language pop star Eric Chou, Golden Horse Film Award nominee Angela Yuen, Shao Yu-wei, Huang Guan-zhi, Cosmos Lin, Ben Wu and Sean Lin in leading roles. The show is co-directed by kao Pin-chuan and Tseng Ying-ting, working from a script headed by Chien Li-ying (“Wave Makers”).

“Itaewon Class” is a story about an ex-convict who sets up his own business after release from jail. His attempts, not always successful, drag in friends and family. It was originally a...

Warner Bros Discovery is reteaming with Taiwanese production company DaMou Entertainment to produce HBO Asia original Fired Up! (working title), an adaptation of hit Kakao webtoon Itaewon Class.

The two companies previously worked together on award-winning Taiwanese drama series The World Between Us and Workers.

Fired Up! will also be produced by Koko Entertainment, a company co-founded by DaMou Entertainment and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) in 2021, which has credits including horror drama Urban Horror, stage show Before Outdated and musical Don’t Cry, Dancing Girls.

Scheduled to start production in December 2023, Fired Up! will star Eric Chou as a young man who is committed to preserving his family’s restaurant and embarks on a quest to uncover the truth behind his father’s tragic death.

Directed by Kao Pin-chuan and Tseng Ying-ting, the series will also star Angela Yuen, Shao Yu-wei, Huang Guan-zhi, Cosmos Lin, Ben Wu and Sean Lin.

San Sebastian premiere ‘A Journey in Spring’ takes on the nature of life, say debuting Taiwanese directors Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang.

“I have a very close relationship with my family. They ground me. Losing them is my deepest fear, but it’s birth and death, come and go,” admits Wang.

Peng adds: “We can only learn how to cherish things after we experience regrets.”

Such melancholic takes echo their protagonist’s experience as well: an older man who lives with his wife somewhere in Taipei. When she passes away, he tries his best to ignore it – also by hiding her body in an old freezer. But when his estranged son finally returns home, with his new partner, Khim-Hok has to acknowledge her death.

Jason King, Kuei-Mei Yang, Wei-Hua Lan, Shu-Wei Chang, Chiasui Chen and Jack Kao act in the film, produced by Being Film and Art Co.

“I never...

Headlined respectively by “Sound of Metal” lead Riz Ahmed and “Matrix” stars Jessica Henwick and Hugo Weaving, Christos Nikou’s “Fingernails” and Kitty Green’s “The Royal Hotel” figure among seven newly unveiled films which will play in main competition at September’s San Sebastian Film Festival.

Also in the running are buzz titles “A Journey in Spring,” from Taiwan’s Peng Tzu-Hui, Wang Ping-Wen, and “Kalak,” directed by Denmark’s Isabella Eklöf.

Announced Friday, the new additions are comprised by one debut (“Spring”) and five second features from emerging talent ranging from Japan’s Kei Chica-ura to France’s Xavier Legrand, nominated for an Academy Award for best live action short film for 2013’s “Just Before Losing Everything.”

The new titles confirm a 2023 main competition which, including previously announced titles, frames three feature debuts – Raven Jackson’s “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” Isabel Herguera’s “Sultana’s Dream...

The concept of one becoming a ghost and even watching their own funeral has been explored a number of times in cinema, particularly in Hollywood, with the truths raised about the deceased by the people who attend the ceremony lingering somewhere between the comedic and the dramatic. Li Nien-hsu presents a 35-minute film focusing on such a concept, based on her family and the real-life conversations they had after her father’s death.

“Can You Hear Me?” is screening at Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh

Jhong Er wakes up and realizes that he is dead, as he watches his already bedridden body lying in the room he spent the last years of his life, taken care of by his wife. Soon, his two daughters and his only son arrive, with sadness taking over them when they realize what has happened. Not before they point some fingers, though, with the son even...

Alan Yang’s directorial debut is shaping up to be a somber, albeit entirely heartfelt, story of love and family.

Netflix has released the trailer for Yang’s “Tigertail,” which will premiere on the streaming service April 10. The film initially centers on a young Pin-Jui (Hong-Chi Lee), who relocates to the United States from Taiwan in search of a better life, though the move forces him to get an arranged marriage in lieu of staying with the woman he loves.

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When it turns out America isn’t exactly the land of opportunity that Pin-Jui had hoped for, he’s stuck in a loveless marriage, works a tiresome, thankless job, and, as the trailer explicitly states, becomes broken inside. As the film fast-forwards several decades,...

While the distribution strategies for the majority of film companies were uprooted when it comes to their work in the wake of the coronavirus, one distributor that moved ahead as scheduled was, of course, Netflix. Their next high-profile release is Tigertail, the directorial debut of Alan Yang, who is known for his work on Parks and Recreation and Master of None.

Starring Tzi Ma, Christine Ko, Hayden Szeto, Hong-Chi Lee, Yo-Hsing Fang, Kunjue Li, Fiona Fu, James Saito, and Joan Chen, the film tells a multi-generational story of a Taiwanese factory worker who embarks on a new life in America. The first trailer previews and emotionally poignant work that may make a good double feature with another drama about cultural identity and assimilation, this year’s Sundance winner Minari.

Ahead of a release in just a few weeks on April 10, see the trailer and poster.

In this poignant multi-generational drama,...

Whereas his early films such as “Pushing Hands” and “The Wedding Banquet” often touch upon the crossroads between modernity and tradition, Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee found himself in a similar situation with his third film. As he reflects upon the production of his 1994 “Eat Drink Man Woman”, he describes how he felt the pressure between going mainstream with his movies or making an arthouse film, especially after winning the Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival for “The Wedding Banquet”. Considering this situation, it seems only fitting he would make a film which would not only pick up the thematic threads of his previous ones, but which would also discuss these issues within the circle of the family, their relationships and, of course, the world of cooking.

“Eat Drink Man Woman” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival – Winter Showcase 2020

Even though he has been planning to settle down...