24th New York Asian Film Festival

July 11-27, 2025

Photo: ©2025 JOLLIFY CREATIVE, LTD., SCREENWORKS ASIA LTD. All rights reserved.

International Premiere

Islanders Ep. 1-2

親密之海

Be among the first to experience Islanders, an upcoming Amazon Prime series making its exclusive, international big-screen debut at NYAFF. Adapted from Hu Ching-fang’s award-winning novel, the show spans a decade of longing, betrayal, and disconnection in the age of social media. Chen Han-jung remains devoted to his first love, Lee Hsien-hung—even as ambition, infidelity, and emotional drift drive them apart. Co-directed by Singapore’s Lü Ji-Yuan and Taiwan’s Tsai Pao-Chang, and starring Wu Kang-ren, Christopher Lee, Rima Zeidan, and Yu Tzu-yu, Islanders is a striking meditation on modern intimacy and digital isolation.

Directors: Ler Jiyuan, Tsai Pao-chang
Cast: Wu Kang-ren, Rima Zeidan, Christopher Lee, Yu Tzu-Yu
Languages: Mandarin and English with English subtitles
2025; 96 min.
Country: Taiwan

SCHEDULE:

Sunday July 13, 4:00pm
LOOK Cinemas W57

Intro and Q&A with series director Ler Jiyuan.

Ler Jiyuan
呂吉元

Singaporean director, screenwriter, and producer Ler Jiyuan is known for his expertise in cross-media storytelling across television series, feature films, commercials, and music videos. His short film The Drum (2017) was selected for the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France. In 2019, he directed the HBO Asia original series “Invisible Stories: Lian,” which premiered at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and was named by Variety as one of the year’s Top 15 International TV Series. He is presenting episodes 1 -2 of his new series, Islanders, at NYAFF 2025.