One of our favourite annual events, the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) has announced its opening film, ‘Uncaged’ competition and full slate. This year they’ll be running an online festival from 28 August to 12 September.
The festival was delayed slightly this year in light of the global pandemic, but it’s now coming back with a bang.
The opening night film is The Girl and the Gun (Babae at Baril), directed by Rae Red, led by a superb performance by actress Janine Gutierrez.
There’s also a special focus on titles directed and led by women as part of a section called Women Transforming Film. Films include: Heavy Craving from Taiwan, Lucky Chan-sil and Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 from South Korea, My Prince Edward from Hong Kong, and Victim(s) from Malaysia, among others.
Other highlights include centrepiece They Say Nothing Stays the Same from Odagiri Joe and a selection of eight science-fiction films. You can find more on the official NYAFF website.
FULL LINEUP (51 films) as of 8/10 (program still subject to change)
Titles in bold are included in the “Uncaged” Competition.
BHUTAN
– Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Pawo Choyning Dorji, 2019) New York Premiere
CHINA
– Gone With the Light (Dong Runnian, 2019) North American Premiere
– Chaogtu with Sarula (Wang Rui, 2019) North American Premiere
– Mr. Miao (Li Lingxiao, 2020) International Premiere
HONG KONG PANORAMA
Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York
– Chasing Dream (Johnnie To, 2019) New York Premiere
– My Prince Edward (Norris Wong, 2019) East Coast Premiere
– Hell Bank Presents: Running Ghost (Mark Lee, 2020) World Premiere
– The Grand Grandmaster (Dayo Wong, 2020) North American Premiere
– Legally Declared Dead (Yuen Kim Wai, 2019) U.S. Premiere
– Memories to Choke on, Drinks to Wash Them Down (Leung Ming-kai, Kate Reilly, 2019) North American Premiere
– Unleashed (Ka Hei Kwok and Ambrose Kwok, 2019) North American Premiere
– A Witness out of the Blue 犯罪現場 (Fung Chih Chiang, 2019) New York Premiere
INDONESIA
– Abracadabra (Faozan Rizal, 2019 ) North American Premiere
JAPAN
– Family Bond (Gonno Hajime, 2019) North American Premiere
– A Beloved Wife (Adachi Shin, 2019) North American Premiere
– Miyamoto (Mariko Tetsuya, 2019) New York Premiere
– Dancing Mary (Sabu, 2019) North American Premiere
– Forgiven Children (Naito Eisuke, 2019) International Premiere
– One Night (Shiraishi Kazuya, 2020) North American Premiere
– Beneath the Shadow (Otomo Keishi, 2019) North American Premiere
– They Say Nothing Stays the Same (Odagiri Joe, 2019) U.S. Premiere
KAZAKHSTAN
– Tomiris (Akan Satayev, 2019) North American Premiere
MALAYSIA
– Geran (Areel Abu Bakar, 2019) North American Premiere
– Soul (Roh) (Emir Ezwan, 2020) North American Premiere
– Victim(s) (Layla Zhuqing Ji, 2020) North American Premiere
PHILIPPINES
– The Girl and the Gun (Rae Red, 2019) North American Premiere
– John Denver Trending (Arden Rod Condez, 2019) East Coast Premiere
SOUTH KOREA
Presented with the support of the Korean Cultural Center New York
– Secret Zoo (Son Jae-gon, 2019) New York Premiere.
Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
– Hitman: Agent Jun (Choi Won-sub, 2020) North American Premiere
– Forbidden Dream (Hur Jin-ho, 2019) International Premiere
– Lucky Chan-sil (Kim Cho-hee, 2019) North American Premiere.
Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
– Baseball Girl (Choi Yuntae, 2019) International Premiere
– Beasts Clawing at Straws (Kim Yong-hoon, 2019) n/a.
Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
– Beauty Water (Cho Kyung-hun, 2020) U.S. Premiere
– Moving on (Yoon Danbi, 2019) North American Premiere
– Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (Kim Do-young, 2019) US Continental Premiere
SF8 Series: An anthology of eight science fiction films:
– The Prayer (Min Kyu-dong, 2020) International Premiere
– Empty Body (Kim Ui-seok, 2020) International Premiere
– Love Virtually (Oh Ki-hwan, 2020) International Premiere
– White Crow (Jang Cheol-s, 2020) International Premiere
– Blink (Han Ga-ram, 2020) International Premiere
– Baby It’s Over Outside (Ahn Gooc-jin, 2020) International Premiere
– Joan’s Galaxy (Lee Yoon-jung, 2020) International Premiere.
– Manxin (Noh Deok, 2020) International Premiere
TAIWAN
– Wild Sparrow (Shih Li, 2019) New York Premiere. Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
– Detention (John Hsu, 2019) New York Premiere
– IWeirDO (Liao Ming-yi, 2020) US Premiere. Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
– Heavy Craving (Hsieh Pei-ju, 2019) East Coast Premiere
– The Gangs, the Oscars and the Walking Dead (Kao Pin-chuan, 2019) US Premiere. Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
– Dear Loneliness (Lien Chien-hung, Sunny Yu, Liao Jhe-yi, 2019) North American Premiere
– Miss Andy (Teddy Chin, 2020) North American Premiere
Read more coverage of Asian cinema from the silent era to festivals and other contemporary releases in our dedicated section called Asia in Focus.
