25th New York Asian Film Festival

July 10-26, 2026

Photo: Copyright © Benny. Entertainment, Inc.

North American Premiere

Apes

After a monkey steals his travel documents, a traveler is stranded in a remote border village inhabited by an ethnic minority. In his search for the documents, he encounters a mysterious woman who shares his plight and an AI worshipped by the villagers as Buddha. When he finally acquires a temporary passport and is ready to continue his journey, the cries of the monkeys lure him into a dense forest, where a blinding light swallows everything, foreshadowing an uncertain future.

Director: Benny Wang
Producer: Xiaowen Wang
Screenwriter: Xiaozi Muhua
Cast: Yingbo ZHAO; Chloe Mayan
Languages: Chinese with English Subtitles
2026; 15 min.; Digital
Country: China

SCHEDULE:

Sunday July 12, 12:00pm
Film at Lincoln Center

This program of short films includes Benny Wang’s Apes, Cami Kwan’s Paper Daughter, Yating Hsu’s Girl Talk, Ning Qian’s Buddha the Betrayer, Daphne Zelle’s Where Belly Goes, Diana Bang & Andrea Bang’s One Last Walk, and Imanuel Bolaman’s Autosave.