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Organised by the Busan, Hong Kong and Tokyo International Film Festivals, and supported by Create HongKong and the Film Development Fund, the Asian Film Awards Academy (Academy or Afaa) has spearheaded efforts to promote Asian cinema around the world year-round. As part of the Asian Film Awards (Afa), its flagship event and the largest celebration of Asian cinema in the world, the Academy appoints an emerging Asian star every year as Youth Ambassador to act as the face of the awards and to take part in outreach activities. For the first time in its history, the Academy has appointed not one, but four celebrated Asian stars as the Youth Ambassadors of the 17th Afa: (in alphabetical order) Liu Kuan-Ting, Mario Maurer, Miyazawa Hio and Will Or.

Embodying numerous countries and cultures, Asia is a region that is rich in diversity, and that diversity has always been reflected in its films,...

Exclusive: Jack Black has boarded Gianna, a horror comedy short written, produced by and starring his School of Rock co-star Rivkah Reyes, as an associate producer.

Also starring Emmy nominee Margaret Cho (Fire Island) and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow (Peacemaker), the film follows the newly sober and recently single Gina (Reyes), who is faced with the literal devil herself, after her sliding-scale therapist (Cho) suggests spending time with her inner demons. Kait Schuster served as director, with Jarad Schwartz and Brando Crawford among the EPs on the short, which premieres at Inside Out Festival and will also play the Palm Springs Shorts Festival.

“I loved the perfectly twisted queerness of the story and script and I had to get involved,” said Cho of the project. “Rivkah is The Gay Future!!!!!”

Part of the cast of Uni’s recent box-office smash The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black will also reunite with Reyes...

There's so much to watch on Netflix that it's tough to know where to start. Curious viewers looking for science fiction genre movies might turn towards established classics like "Blade Runner." They might return to the best superhero movies of all time, "Spider-Man" and "Spider-Man 2." Perhaps they might even bust out "End of Evangelion," the shocking movie climax of the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" television series, just to feel something.

But there's more available on Netflix than just that. The following films include anti-capitalist fables, groundbreaking animated movies, and a Korean science fiction film that overcame the odds to find success. They represent only a taste of Netflix's original offerings in the genre. Rather than blindly follow the streamer's algorithm, sci-fi fans may be better served by bravely plunging into the catalog in search of the unexpected -- or letting us curate some selections for you. You may be surprised...

As the back-to-school rush arrives, Netflix has dropped a perfect mix of new titles and classic flicks right in time to procrastinate homework, work and whatever else life has in store.

This month, the streaming service will serve up a dark comedy featuring Camila Mendes, Ana de Armas’ rendition of Marilyn Monroe and a highly anticipated reunion episode of “Love is Blind.”

As far as library titles, “A Little Princess,” “Clueless,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “The Notebook” and “This Is 40” will find a home on Netflix. The streaming service will also add parts of beloved film series, including “Despicable Me,” “Austin Powers” and “Resident Evil.”

Also Read:

‘Resident Evil’ Canceled at Netflix After 1 Season

Check out the complete list of what’s coming to Netflix this month:

Sept. 1

Fenced In

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Episodes 13-24

Liss Pereira: Adulting

Love in the Villa

Off the Hook...

Asian Cinerama — Hong Kong Focus runs for 4 days — Thursday 15 – Sunday 18 September at Plaza Indonesia Xxi, Jakarta and presents six (6) current productions by promising and established Hong Kong filmmakers in a variety of genres. Asian Cinerama is the first collaborative event on the Road to Balinale 2023.

Asian Film Awards Academy (Afaa) together with Bali International Film Festival (Balinale) and supported by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) and Film Development Fund (Fdf), will open with a premiere screening of Shadows directed by Glenn Chan. The film has been hailed as ‘one of the best films of the year’. The film’s producer and scriptwriter, Mani Man, will hold a post-screening Q&a and conduct a Filmmaking Seminar hosted by Binus University, Jakarta. The live event will also be broadcast virtually.

“We are pleased to have Mani Man, producer and scriptwriter to open the Asian Cinerama program with her film Shadows and conduct a...

Hong Kong director Alan Mak has brought together award-winning actors Francis Ng (“Drifting”) and Aaron Kwok in new Hong Kong crime thriller “Insider,” 22-years after the two shared the big screen together.

Produced by Tenky Tin for Emperor Motion Picture, the film also stars Simon Yam and Niki Chow. A start of production ceremony took place on Monday, attended by Emp supremo Albert Yeung. Kwok also uploaded images to his Instagram account. International sales are yet to be announced.

Ng and Kwok last worked together in Gordon Chan-directed action thriller “2000 Ad” (2000).

In “Insider,” Ng plays a police officer, who rubs up against a lawyer played by Kwok. But the two later became friends and collaborators to fight against the antagonist. The filming will involve large amounts of action and gunfight scenes.

The announcement of the new production also marks what could be a sign of recovery of the local film industry,...

Last month’s Udine festival of all things East Asian was the launch pad for “Making Waves — Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema,” a collection of 13 films that will travel to a dozen cities in Europe and Asia. Billed as an “extravaganza,” mixing old and new talent, the event is pegged to the 25th anniversary celebrations of the return of Hong Kong to China after 150 years of British colonial rule.

But it is no longer clear to everyone that Hong Kong cinema has the energy, willpower or finance to face down its larger demons. Its problems range from the long-term drift of Hong Kong talent into the mainland Chinese industry to censorship and marginalization.

Last year began with Hong Kong cinemas under pressure from pro-Beijing media to change their releases, and raids on private screenings. These were followed by an amended law that introduces film censorship according to national security concerns...

Further titles include Herman Yau’s War Customised and Alan Mak’s Insider.

Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp) has unveiled a slate of 12 upcoming films, including a sequel to Zhang Yimou’s box office hit Cliff Walkers and new all-star features from Herman Yau and Alan Mak.

It has also released the first images of Felix Chong’s The Goldfinger, which reunites Infernal Affairs stars Tony Leung and Andy Lau for the first time in nearly 20 years (see below).

The 12 titles, along with two projects in development, equate to an investment of $191.7m (Hk$1.5b), representing the company...

Hong Kong protest films “Revolution of Our Times” and “May You Stay Forever Young” will have their British premiere in March at a new film festival organized by artists and culture sector workers who have relocated to the U.K.

Ng Ka-leung, a producer and director of Hong Kong dystopian anthology “Ten Years,” and documentary filmmaker and writer Wong Ching, co-curators of Hong Kong Film Festival U.K. 2022, said the festival is more than just about screening films that can no longer be shown in their hometown due to political changes.

It is organized by Hong Kong Umbrella Community, a U.K.-based body co-founded by Nathan Law, a former Hong Kong lawmaker who is now living in exile in Britain. The inaugural edition of the festival is funded by private donors, but event organizers hoped to raise funds from other sources for future editions.

The U.K., Hong Kong’s former colonial master,...

“Limbo” is the favourite contender for the 40th edition of The Hong Kong Film Awards with a total of 14 nominations including Best Film, Best Director (Soi Cheang), Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Lam Ka-tung) and Best Actress (Cya Liu). “Limbo” is followed closely by “Anita”, a biopic of the late Anita Mui, that received 12 nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. The Award ceremony will be held in-person at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on April 17, unless the public health situation deteriorates further.

Best Film

Raging Fire

Anita

Limbo

Zero to Hero

Drifting

Best Director

Man Lim Chung for Keep Rolling

Benny Chan for Raging Fire

Longman Leung for Anita

Soi Cheang for Limbo

Peter Ho-Sun Chan for Leap

Best Screenplay

Ashley Cheung Yin Kei, Ho Siu Hong, Li Ho Ting and Ling Wai Chun for One Second Champion

Ho Ching Yi and Lam Ka Tung for Time

Au Kin Yee...

Other contenders include biopic ‘Anita’, ‘Drifting’ and ‘Raging Fire’, the final thriller by the late Benny Chan.

Soi Cheang’s crime thriller Limbo leads the pack for the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) with 14 nominations, as the event prepares to return as an in-person ceremony following last year’s cancellation as a result of the pandemic.

The black and white crime noir, which premiered in Berlinale Special in 2021, secured nods including best film, best director and for actors Lam Ka Tung[/link], Cya Liu and Fish Liew. The thriller centres on a veteran detective and rookie copy who team up to catch a serial killer.

Action thriller “Limbo” was named best film of 2021 at the annual Hong Kong Film Critics’ Society Awards. The film’s female lead, Chinese actress Cya Liu, was crowned best actress for her role as a young addict.

Results of five awards and 10 recommended films were decided on Jan. 16, 2022 after nine hours of deliberation and three rounds of votes. A total of 48 films released in 2021 met the entry criteria for the awards, which is in its 28th edition this year.

Critics said the Cantonese noir “Limbo,” based on the novel of the same name by mainland author Lei Mi, was an “extraordinary work.” It was directed by Soi Cheang.

The grim, crumbling slum that serves as a backdrop for the story revolving around a cop duo’s hunt of a serial killer—just like how an imagined southern Chinese city depicted in the novel—is one metaphor for a “near future,...

Leading indie film project market, the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum has revealed a selection of 28 titles for its twentieth edition and confirmed that it will be held online for the third time in a row.

“Unfortunately, we won’t have the opportunity to celebrate our 20th anniversary by hosting our usual in-person event due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions,” Hkiff industry director Jacob Wong said. “Nevertheless, based on experience gained from the last two years, we will strive to improve our online booking and meeting system to make it a breeze for all participants.”

The market will operate March 14-16, 2022, alongside the 26th edition of rights market Hong Kong FilMart (March 14-17.)

The market contains a familiar mix of experienced hands and newcomers. Among the well-established producers and directors with projects selected are: Huang Ji (2021 Rotterdam festival winner “Egg and Stone”); Hong Kong’s Jun Li...

This year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has unveiled the 14 films selected for its flagship Tiger Competition. Scroll down for the full list.

The selection is typically globe-trotting, with features ranging from Chile to China, Sweden to Israel, and Mexico to India. A jury will grant three prizes: the Tiger Award, plus two special jury awards. On the jury are: Zsuzsi Bánkuti, Gust Van den Berghe, Tatiana Leite, Thekla Reuten and Farid Tabarki.

Last year’s winner of IFFR’s Tiger competition was Indian filmmaker Vinothraj P.S.’s Pebbles, which was the country’s contender for this year’s International Oscar race, though didn’t make the shortlist.

Today, the festival also confirmed the line-ups for its Big Screen Competition, which aims to bridge the gap between popular and arthouse cinema. Titles selected range from Romania to France and South Africa. The Tiger Short Competition was also unveiled.

American Girl took five prizes including best new director and best new performer.

Chung Mong-hong’s The Falls won best narrative feature and three other prizes at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards on Saturday night (November 27), while Kiwi Chow’s Revolution Of Our Times took best documentary feature.

Selected as Taiwan’s submission for best international feature at the Oscars, The Falls also won awards for best leading actress (Alyssa Chia), best original screenplay (Chung and Chang Yaosheng) and best original score (Lu Luming). The film received its world premiere at this year’s Venice film festival.

Revolution Of Our Times,...

“The Falls,” Taiwan’s Oscar contender and a timely drama about the trauma of home quarantine, emerged as the unsurprising winner at the Golden Horse Film Awards in Taipei on Saturday.

And, in a bold decision that has the potential to enrage Mainland Chinese authorities, the prize for best documentary feature was awarded to “Revolution of Our Times.” The film chronicles the brutality of the political crackdown on the streets of Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020.

“The Falls,” which debuted at the Venice Film Festival in September, tells the tale of a mother and daughter cooped up in an apartment during a quarantine. It is directed by Chung Mong-hong, who previously directed “Parking” and “A Sun.”

At the award ceremony “The Falls” earned four prizes, including best narrative feature, best original screenplay, best actress and best original score.

The Golden Horse Film Awards are in their 58th edition and for many...

It is the debut feature from Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney, whose short film Drifting starring Paul Mescal premiered in Galway last year.

Dublin-based Wildcard Distribution has secured UK and Ireland rights to Irish feature drama Lakelands, with a cinema release scheduled for next year.

The film is the debut feature from Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney, whose short film Drifting starring Paul Mescal premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh last year.

Lakelands is currently filming on location in the Irish midlands town of Granard, and centres on the aftermath of an attack on a night out, as a young...

Film scholar and former director of Taiwan’s Film Archive Huang Jianye is set to chair the jury for the 58th iteration of the Taipei-based Golden Horse Awards, the festival said Wednesday.

The awards are now heading into the third year without participants from China after a controversial awards speech in 2018 included mentions of Taiwanese independence. The comments led Beijing to order its citizens to make a hasty retreat that year and impose a ban on attending what had once been known as the Oscars of Asia.

Without China’s presence, the Golden Horse Awards have shrunk in scope, but are still soldiering on. Festival screenings are set to begin Nov. 11 ahead of the awards ceremony on Nov. 27 in Taipei.

Joining Huang on the jury this year will be Japanese producer Osaka Fumiko, a frequent collaborator of Hou Hsiao-hsien and Jia Zhangke; producer Lee Lieh; director Chen Yu-Hsun (“My Missing Valentine...

Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Drive My Car” and Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero,” two films that debuted in Cannes, emerge as the strong favorites for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, after nominations were announced on Wednesday.

Both films are nominated for best film, best directing, best screenplay and best performance by an actor.

The best film category is rounded out by nominations for India-France co-production “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” directed by India’s Payal Kapadia; “The Pencil” from Russia’s Natalya Nazarova; and “There is No Evil,” an Iran-Czech-Germany co-production directed by Mohammad Rasoulof that won the Golden Bear in Berlin.

Organizers said that nominations had gone to 38 films from 25 Asia Pacific countries and regions. Films from Japan and Iran each collected seven nominations. And, after 14 years, a representative from Vietnam collected the country’s first Apsa nomination.

But the Apsa nominations represented a complete shut-out for both mainland China and Taiwan.

The New Zealand International Film Festival had to cancel the Auckland leg of its multi-city exhibition series, but will continue in Wellington and Christchurch and other regional stops with a diverse lineup that includes an impressive Asian selection.

Wellington will screen a total of 164 feature films from 51 countries over 18 days (Nov. 4-21) across its eight venues. Christchurch will screen 95 features from 37 countries.

International highlights include Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” Zhang Yimou’s “One Second,” and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Oscars contender Jasmila Zbanic’s “Quo Vadis, Aida?” Germany’s Oscar contender, Maria Schrader’s “I’m Your Man,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” and “My Salinger Year” also screen. So too does Jane Campion’s U.S.-set, New Zealand-made “The Power of the Dog.” The middle of the festival includes Cannes Palme D’or winner “Titane” and Paulo Sorrentino’s Venice grand...

Hong Kong drama “Drifting” leads Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Awards race with 12 nominations including best narrative feature and best adapted screenplay, organizers announced on Tuesday.

The film that revolves around the tragedy of homeless people in Hong Kong also earned a nomination for Jun Li in the best director category. Veteran actor Francis Ng, who plays a homeless drug addict battling for justice, was also nominated for best leading actor.

Since 2019, Beijing has operated a mainland Chinese boycott of the awards that for many years were seen as the highest accoladed for Chinese-language filmmaking. And in 2019 and 2020 most Hong Kong films and filmmakers also stayed away. This year’s list sees an uptick in the Hong Kong participation, but only in the cases of films that are unlikely ever to receive a release in mainland China.

The domination of “Drifting” in the race, however, is closely challenged by “The Falls,...

One of the many repercussions of the protests in Hong Kong which took place in the last years is that it showed the vast difference between certain parts of the population and the political caste. At the same time, it shed some light on the social differences of the city, the social chasm symbolized by gigantic skyscrapers for the super-rich and luxurious condos on the one hand, and a growing number of people forced to either leave the city for good or who became part of the homeless. With his acclaimed directorial debut “Tracey” filmmaker Jun Li has already proved his keen eye for these social issues in his home country, and his follow-up “Drifting”, based on a true story, is no exception. Focusing on the problems of the homeless, and a court case against the Hong Kong government, Jun Li discusses the concept of class, but also themes such as dignity,...

The 10th Chinese Visual Festival (Cvf) will be held in London 15 – 25 July at BFI Southbank and Genesis Cinema. The UK’s only festival dedicated to the cinema of the Chinese language speaking world, this year’s event sees a highly anticipated return to in-person screenings for Cvf, giving audiences the chance to catch a carefully curated selection of fantastic films on the big screen where they belong. This year’s line-up features a programme of unprecedented variety, covering a wide range of genres, forms and subjects, welcoming film lovers back to cinemas with ten days of unmissable films. Cvf 2021 is supported by the Department of Film Studies, King’s College London and the Taipei Representative Office in the U.K. and the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan (R.O.C.).

This year’s festival opens with the UK Premiere of Drifting, from Hong Kong writer director Jun Li, whose ground-breaking trans drama Tracey screened...