25th New York Asian Film Festival

July 10-26, 2026

Photo: Qian Ning

International Premiere

Buddha The Betrayer

Jinquan, a devoted temple guardian and spiritual medium, awoke to find his cherished Buddha gone one day. As he searched, he encountered a mysterious young man, who was suspected of the theft yet strangely attuned to the Buddha's essence. Now, a haunting thought took root in Jinquan's mind: Did the Buddha betray him? Facing his deepest fears, he must grapple with faith,betrayal,and his vulnerability.

Director: Qian Ning
Producer: Annie Song
Screenwriters: Qian Ning, LIN Shizhao
Cast: Jason King, Yang Bo
Languages: Chinese with English Subtitles
2025; 25 min.; DCP
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.