Ling needs a kidney. She crosses the 1056 metres long causeway from Malaysia to Singapore to see her younger brother who now lives there to seek this desperate favour. Will her last hope eventually save her?

Leave it to the Hong Kong film industry to create a feature-length charity PSA that corrals nearly every known local star (Jackie Chan! Louis Koo! Tony Leung Ka-fai! Eric Tsang!) to send a strong message about the role artists should play in times of crisis—and to generate proceeds to support those affected by COVID-19.

Shot in the heart of the NYC Melting Pot, Iman Zawahry’s buoyant intercultural comedy Americanish invites viewers into the Jackson Heights, Queens home and rapidly evolving lives of three young Pakistani American women, career-focused sisters Maryam and Sam Khan, and their just-off-the-boat cousin Ameera, intent on landing Mr. Rich.

Q&A with director Iman K. Zawahry, writer/producer/lead actor Aizzah Fatima, actress Salena Qureshi and crew

Set in Inner Mongolia in the 1980s, when China launched economic development programs that resulted in widespread clear-cutting (essentially mass destruction by chainsaw), this is a breathtakingly beautiful debut with a romance at its heart and an environmental message in its soul.

This novel take on the Shakespeare classic dynamically reimagines the story's gender-bending romance in the near future, with a clever conceit that should have the Bard dancing in his grave.

Korean and Japanese dysfunctional-family dramedies and their respective idiosyncrasies merge in this funny and touching road movie.

In 2000, an ethnic riot rocked a secondary school in southern Malaysia, causing numerous injuries and two student deaths. Yet the confrontation never received media coverage, and the local authorities were apparently able to suppress the truth.

In his second film, Yujiro Harumoto crafts a gripping morality tale about the power of the press and public opinion, and the shifting sands of perception.

An actress is cast in a film that’s described as a cross between Korean art-house auteur Hong Sangsoo and the Jason Bourne action franchise. She arrives at the idyllic seaside shooting location with her young son in tow, only to be thrust into rigorous martial-arts training.

After a braggart (played with quirky aplomb by Tokio Emoto) is trounced by a teenage upstart, he takes up boxing and surprisingly shows a natural talent for it, giving his life new direction.

One of the major films of the Hong Kong New Wave, Ann Hui’s Boat People is a work of indelible humanity and searing political resonance. Invited to document the progress of postwar Vietnamese society, a Japanese photojournalist (George Lam) initially finds a picture-perfect image of communist contentment.

A gorgeously lensed homage to classical monochrome cinema, this masterwork by Lee Joon-ik is inspired by real events and infused with poetic humanism.

Three inmates band together to plot a desperate escape. A gang leader doesn’t want to miss his estranged daughter’s wedding; a small-time hood with a good heart must donate an organ to save his dying mother; an altruistic executive who was framed by his partner strives to set the record straight.

Present day moments in New York lead Ayeon to reflect on her childhood in Seoul as she redefines her idea of home.

Faced with every possible pressure, teenager Leaf runs away from home. An odd chain of events whisks him into another world populated by pieces of junk, from discarded appliances to a garrulous plastic bag.

If you think real estate prices are high in New York, just wait’ll you see the claustrophobic spaces and sky-high rents in Hong Kong, where things are so bad for the underclasses, they’re actually starting to cohabitate with the dead.

Spirited YouTuber Ina barely escapes being swindled by the handsome but conniving Tower. In a twist of fate, they join forces to exact revenge on Ina’s unscrupulous ex, who conned her out of a large sum of money.

This all-star version of King Hu’s classic Dragon Inn, shadow directed and produced by Tsui Hark, is the apex of Hong Kong wuxia cinema. Unmissable.

This is a free event! And our 20th birthday party... Don't miss it! (The code is... NYAFF21)

Americans may recall the Somalian civil war from the blockbuster Black Hawk Down, but Ryoo Seung-wan’s intense political thriller Escape from Mogadishu (like the earlier film, also shot entirely in Morocco) is likely to change all that.

Altruistic hitman Fable, everyone’s favorite socially awkward badass, is back with a biff, bang, pow! This stand-alone sequel to one of the greatest hyperbolic action-comedy manga adaptations ever made gleefully matches the explosive excitement and pointed satire of its predecessor (screened at NYAFF 2019).

Director Jéro Yun (Mrs. B., A North Korean Woman, NYAFF 2017) applies his well-honed documentary techniques to the boxing genre for a stunning neorealist narrative film about a stranger in a strange land that is powerful, poignant, and culturally resonant.

This feature version of the manga-based TV show features nonstop off-the-wall gags, delirious antics, and hyperbolic action that's both exciting and so funny it hurts.

With the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, Chinese soldiers in the British Forces were left to fend for themselves. One of them, Chiu (Hong Kong veteran actor Gordon Lam Ka Tung in another indelible role), has found a precarious living in the underworld.

2021 Variety Star Asia Award: Gordon Lam Ka Tung

How might filmmakers incorporate COVID-19 into their storylines? Look no further than this sweet, sexy, sassy exemplar about two lonely students whose initial online contretemps evolves into friendship and—if they ever get the chance to meet—perhaps something even deeper.

Akiko Ohku has emerged as an auteur who represents vibrant, modern women stuck at a crossroads between independence and commitment, a ripe metaphor for contemporary Japanese society.

When technical administrator Jeong-eun (Yoo Da-in) is suddenly dispatched to a subcontracting company in Nowheresville, she ignores the blatant message to resign. Already punished by chauvinistic bosses for demonstrating her competence at the head office, she is loath to endear herself to her new co-workers.

In modern-day Inner Mongolia, an elder Shaman looks for the rebirth of her beloved grandson in a foal.

"Invited In" centers around an anxious and timid freshman named Annie, who finds herself mid pandemic realizing how isolated she has been her whole life.

A movie that gives a much-needed boost to corporate feminism, Office Royale also taps into the fantastical magic of the manga universe, yet it’s NOT an adaptation!

While some of the plot beats may seem familiar in this saga of an ex-yakuza fresh out of prison and trying to go straight, everything else about Joint transcends the ordinary.

Q&A with dir. Oudai Kojima at the August 13 screening!

A Woman with No Name wanders alone through a barren desert, in search for her dead husband-to-be’s bones. On the verge of death, she falls into a mystical land between the East and West, known as “The End of the World.” There, she encounters a gang of mythical Chinese Cowboys known as “The Chinamen,” gatekeepers of the bones of all Chinese Americans who have died in the West…

Seven years in the making and comprising some 140,000 stop-motion shots, this dystopian tale and herculean labor of love is the brainchild of Takahide Hori, who storyboarded, wrote, directed, designed, lit, shot, costumed, and voiced the film, and created all of its visual effects.

Through the happenings of a single day, the story traces the life of a 40 something newly separated woman, Anjali Katekar, as she navigates another 24 hours of her life in the busy city of Mumbai.

This amiable, intimate portrait of legendary filmmaker Ann Hui, the NYAFF 2021 Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, celebrates the life, career, and independent spirit of a brilliant, pioneering artist who is also the ultimate Hong Konger.

In the corner of a quiet town, an old lonely kite maker is reminded of the joys of life.

This brutal sequel to The Blood of Wolves (NYAFF 2018) stands on its own and is an absolute must-see for fans of badass cinema. Baby-faced Tori Matsuzaka is back as peacemaker cop Hioka, now a hard-boiled force to be reckoned with.

In this deliciously dark comedy, a woman desperately attempts to reunite her husband’s amputated leg with his body before his funeral, leading her on a wild goose chase across Taipei and through multiple encounters with bureaucracy, ineptitude, and her own recent past.

An instant urban-noir classic, Soi Cheang’s dystopian genre thriller fairly throbs with transgression.

2021 Variety Star Asia Award: Gordon Lam Ka Tung

When a young deaf woman nearly rescues the prey of a serial killer late one night, a harrowing game of cat and mouse is set in motion. The taut twists go from 0 to 60 in no time flat, between colorful character development and nail-biting suspense.

Gritty indie filmmaking becomes a sardonic metaphor for fate and corruption in this rousing satire of the creative process.

A second-generation Chinese American woman connects to her roots by piecing together the memory of her mother's last days, when Alzheimer's disease stripped away their common language.

Ever feel out of step with the rest of the world? Almost 30, Hsiao-chi has always done everything a few moments before everyone else, yet she lags behind in significant ways.

No bones about it: xenophobia is a major scourge of the human race. A fierce champion of independence and humanity, director Yu Irie (8000 Miles, NYAFF 2010) has made an anti-racism film that is as sneakily subversive as its old-school superspy namesake.

An alienated teenage girl lives unhappily with her indifferent father, uncaring stepmother and bratty half-sister. When she's finally reunited with her glamorous-yet-reckless biological mother, the two form a deep, inseparable bond.

Known as the “One-Second Wonder,” Chow Tin-yan could see things a moment before they happened, and as a child he enjoyed brief celebrity for his gift.

With his finger firmly planted on the pulse of Japan’s slacker lifestyle, auteur Rikiya Imaizumi sets this quirky send-up of modern romance in Tokyo’s hippest 'hood, Shimokitazawa.

A woman struggles to share the news of her unexpected pregnancy with her career-focused husband as the future of their nation is being decided in a pivotal election.

This timely, haunting exploration of AI sentience and the anxiety of choice is set in a near-future hospice, where the robot nurses have been crafted to resemble family members of the patients.

Completed shortly before director Benny Chan’s untimely death in August 2020, his final work, RAGING FIRE, is an explosive action film the likes of which you get to see only once in a blue moon; it stars the inimitable Donnie Yen as Shan, a by-the-book cop whose past returns to haunt him. After a sting operation goes disastrously awry, Shan finds himself pitted against Ngo (Nicholas Tse), a former protégé who has turned criminal mastermind and is out for revenge. Centerpiece presentation and International Premiere

This refreshingly spirited homage to kung fu films of yore belies the conceits of the digital age, while paying special tribute to Jet Li’s 1982 watershed The Shaolin Temple.

This is a story of the heroes that were always around us, and star actor Cho Jin-woong's (Me and Me, Spy Gone North, Believer) directorial debut.

In 1995 Korea, a company-sponsored English class unites a trio of Korean “office ladies.” With smarts and determination above their lot in life, they uncover a scandal of Erin Brockovich proportions.

If you ever wondered why manga is so prevalent in modern Japanese culture, this film may offer some insight.

Stephy Tang, NYAFF 2018 Rising Star Asia awardee, shines in this dark psychological thriller about the power of the past to warp the present.

The compelling feature debut of Aimee Long, this troubling, fact-based film touches on of-the-moment themes that have become part of the national dialogue—from racial politics to the role of the media in manipulating public sentiment and meting out justice.

Q&A with director Aimee Long and actor Kenny Leu

The marginalized will always be (rightfully) wary of others. Deaf teenager Chang Cheng is no exception, and is extra-cautious on his journey to a boarding school for the hard of hearing.

One of South Korea’s most hotly anticipated summer tentpoles, the film focuses on a small group of people who must pull together and pool their strengths in a battle against time and gravity, 500 meters underground. Sinkhole runs the emotional gamut, from Korean-style satirical comedy to tense, action-packed survivalist drama.

Evan Jackson Leong’s narrative feature debut pits two smart, ambitious women against each other and lets the sparks fly.

Q&A with dir. Evan Jackson Leong and cast: Shuya Chang, Jade Wu, Perry Yung

Three high school best friends afflicted by adolescent anomie run away together in search of an answer to all their troubles. Spoiler alert: they don't find one! After tasting the hard reality of living on their own, just scraping by, they come to a tenuous crossroads that could lead to dire consequences.

2021 Rising Star Award: Bang Min-a

Proud country boy Ngawang comes to the city convinced that he can win the indigenous song contest. There he meets a bewitching woman, whom he believes to be the Tibetan goddess of knowledge, art, and music.

Imagine you suddenly find yourself inhabiting someone else’s body. A whole other dimension of identity loss is thrust upon an amnesiac who discovers he has the crackerjack skills of a highly trained intelligence operative.

2021 Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema: Dir. Yoon Jae-keun

Producers Billy Acumen, Lee So-young, Kim Hyun-suk

The second chapter in Ann Hui’s “Vietnamese trilogy” opens with the arrival in Hong Kong harbor of the title character, Woo Viet (Chow Yun-fat, in a role that anticipates his evolution into action hero).

This farcical genre mash-up—from Kazakhstan, no less—lives up to its name and then some! A man escapes the hilariously incessant nagging of his extremely pregnant wife by sneaking off for a fishing trip with a couple of buddies.

Spunky, independent Mirae has a burgeoning career and a doting boyfriend. Aside from nagging parents, all is hunky-dory until an unexpected event promises to change her life forever. This up-close-and-personal chronicle of a young woman’s coming of adulthood concisely articulates the growing pains of life.

Lee Seung-won’s Three Sisters is a quietly triumphant masterwork that reminds us that even the most banal-seeming of storylines can become mesmerizing in the hands of a gifted artist.

A once-legendary hitman from the ‘60s is today reduced to working as a noodle chef.

For his 30th birthday, Ah Bee’s mom gifts him a membership to the Tiong Bahru Social Club, a planned community of pastels and positivity dedicated to the pursuit of happiness.

Q&A with actor Thomas Pang at the August 7 screening!

Equating the quotidian skill of cooking tonkatsu (fried pork cutlets) with the nontraditional yet strangely organic art of DJing is characteristically Japanese (think the opening of the ramen classic Tampopo), and unmistakably befitting of a manga.

In 2015, the former captain of the Chinese national baseball team joined forces with members of the Chinese Baseball Association and others to launch a charity baseball school for underprivileged youngsters in a suburb of Beijing.

We have all been there before: we found ourselves caught between the family argument that we could not understand when we were so little.

A deeply compassionate and intensely moving film about an ex-con’s bumpy road to redemption, this masterwork from Miwa Nishikawa is punctuated by gentle humor, pointed satire, and explosive violence, and anchored by a career-best performance from beloved actor Kōji Yakusho.

This spirited quasi-sequel to the infectious 2013 hit The Way We Dance has all the right moves—and much to say about the preservation of subcultures as they’re confronted by the forces of capitalism.

A young boy’s fantasy about love towards an older woman is disenchanted when he is faced with the reality of intimacy.

Zero to Hero follows the true story of Hong Kong’s Paralympic gold medalist So Wa Wai and the incredible events and people behind his success.

Reveling in the random moments that make life so ineffable, this off-kilter comedy reminds us that there are no superheroes and no heart-stopping climaxes in the real world—just oddballs and misfits trying to make friends, make a living, and make do.