Ryoo Seung-wan’s tense action thriller Escape from Mogadishu, starring Kim Yoon-seok (NYAFF Star Asia winner 2018) and Zo In-sung will kick off 20th edition of New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) at Film at Lincoln Center on August 6. The dramatic film is based on real events that took place in 1991 at the onset of the Somali Civil War, and depicts the perilous escape attempted by North and South Korean embassy workers who were stranded in the title city during the conflict. (Well Go USA is releasing the film in the United States and Canada.)
At the festival, legendary filmmaker Ann Hui will receive the Variety Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award. One of the most critically acclaimed Hong Kong New Wave filmmakers for four decades, Hui has created work of great sensitivity, focusing on themes of cultural displacement, family conflict, and female perspectives. In her honor, NYAFF will be showcasing her early masterwork, The Story of Woo Viet, starring Chow Yun-fat and now celebrating its 40th anniversary, as well as Man Lim Chung’s insightful, delightful portrait of the inimitable Hui, Keep Rolling.
NYAFF also unveiled the six titles nominated for this year’s Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film Competition, which shines a spotlight on first- or second-time directors, celebrating their passion, their vision, and their willingness to take risks. The films are: Anima (Cao Jinling, China), City Of Lost Things (Yee Chih-yen, Taiwan), Hand Rolled Cigarette (Chan Kin Long, Hong Kong), Joint (Oudai Kojima, Japan), Ten Months (Namkoong Sun, South Korea) and Tiong Bahru Social Club (Tan Bee Thiam, Singapore).
Following an unprecedented year in which COVID-19 and increased violence against the Asian community in the United States presented enormous challenges, NYAFF is more committed than ever to increasing exposure of Asian representation on screen. The festival is proud to launch a brand-new Asian American Focus, a selection of superlative films made in the U.S. that will kick off in person with Aimee Long’s torn-from-the-headlines thriller A Shot Through the Wall. Members of the filmmaking team will be present.
The Asian American Focus will also feature Iman K. Zawahry’s Americanish and Evan Jackson Leong’s Snakehead, with appearances by members of the cast and crew of each film. The selection further includes two new short-film showcases of five films each, which will be screened in person and virtually on Eventive.
Other festival highlights include the world premiere of the manga-inflected marital comedy Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me?, starring Tasuku Emoto (a guest at NYAFF 2018 for Opening Night film Dynamite Graffiti) and Haru Kuroki; and the international premieres of Stanley Tong’s celebration of classic kung -fu, Rising Shaolin: The Protector, with megastar Wang Baoqiang; Lee Woo-jung’s powerful coming-of-age feature debut, Snowball, starring Bang Min-a from K-Pop girl group Girl’s Day; and Min Kyu-dong’s haunting exploration of AI sentience, The Prayer. And finally, receiving its North American premiere, Fruit Chan’s Coffin Homes tickles the funny bone and tingles the spine, as soaring real estate prices force people in Hong Kong to share their homes with the dead.
The Festival organized by the New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center will screen over 60 films, both virtually and in person, to audiences in New York and across the country from August 6 – 22, 2021.
See the initial announcement with lineup.
Latest Lineup 20th edition of New York Asian Film Festival
(Please note that the program is still subject to change.)
OPENING FILM
Escape from Mogadishu | dir. Ryoo Seung-wan, South Korea 2021 | International Premiere. In-person Only
SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY CLASSIC SCREENING IN DAMROSCH PARK
Dragon Inn AKA New Dragon Gate Inn | dir. Raymond Lee, Hong Kong 1992 | In-person Only
ANN HUI TRIBUTE SCREENING
The Story of Woo Viet | dir. Ann Hui, Hong Kong 1981 | 40th anniversary tribute screening. In-person Only
UNCAGED AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM
The Uncaged competition section shines the spotlight on first- or second-time directors and celebrates their passion, their vision, and their willingness to take risks.
Anima | dir. Cao Jinling, China 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
City Of Lost Things | dir. Yee Chih-yen, Taiwan 2020 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
Hand Rolled Cigarette | dir. Chan Kin Long, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person & Virtual
Joint | dir. Oudai Kojima, Japan 2021 | International Premiere. In-person & Virtual
Ten Months | dir. Namkoong Sun, South Korea 2020 | International Premiere. In-person Only
Tiong Bahru Social Club | dir. Tan Bee Thiam, Singapore 2020 | U.S. Premiere. In-person & Virtual
ASIAN AMERICAN FOCUS
Americanish | dir. Iman K. Zawahry, USA 2021 | In-person Only
A Shot Through the Wall | dir. Aimee Long, USA 2021 | In-person Only
Snakehead | dir. Evan Jackson Leong, USA 2021 | In-person Only
Shorts Showcase, 10 films | In-person and Virtual
CROWD PLEASERS
Films with broad appeal and titles accessible to all tastes
All U Need is Love | dir. Vincent Kok, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
Breakout Brothers | dir. Mak Ho Pong, Hong Kong 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
The Con-Heartist | dir. Mez Tharatorn, Thailand 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
From Today, It’s My Turn!! | dir. Yuichi Fukuda, Japan 2020 | U.S. Premiere. Virtual Only
Hold Me Back | dir. Akiko Ohku, Japan 2020 | U.S. Premiere. Virtual Only
jigoku-no-hanazono: Office Royale | dir. Kazuaki Seki, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
My Missing Valentine | dir. Chen Yu-hsun, Taiwan 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
One Second Champion | dir. Chiu Sin-hang, Hong Kong 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro | dir. Ken Ninomiya, Japan 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
Zero to Hero | dir. Jimmy Wan, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
GENRE MASTERS
Innovative new work that tweaks and twists genre conventions
Coffin Homes | dir. Fruit Chan, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere
The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill | dir. Kan Eguchi, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
Last of The Wolves | dir. Kazuya Shiraishi, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
Limbo | dir. Soi Cheang, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
Midnight | dir. Kwon Oh-seung, South Korea 2021 | International Premiere. Virtual Only
The Prayer | dir. Min Kyu-dong, South Korea 2021 | International Premiere. Virtual Only
Rising Shaolin: The Protector | dir. Stanley Tong, China, Hong Kong 2021 | International Premiere. Virtual Only
Sweetie, You Won’t Believe It | dir. Yernar Nurgaliyev, Kazakhstan 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
NEXT/NOW
Highlighting emerging voices and promising works by up-and-coming directors
Here And There | dir. JP Habac, Philippines 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person & Virtual
Keep Rolling | dir. Man Lim Chung, Hong Kong 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
Money Has Four Legs | dir. Maung Sun, Myanmar 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
The Old Town Girls | dir. Shen Yu, China 2020 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
Shadows | dir. Glenn Chan, Hong Kong 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
Snowball | dir. Lee Woo-jung, South Korea 2021 | International premiere. In-person Only
Time | dir. Ricky Ko, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only.
BEYOND BORDERS
Films that tell stories about characters confronting different cultures
The Asian Angel | dir. Yuya Ishii, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
Fighter | dir. Jéro Yun, South Korea 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
Nasi Lemak 1.0 | dir. Namewee, Malaysia 2021 | International Premiere. TBD
A Song for You | dir. Dukar Tserang, China 2020 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
FRONTLINES
Films grounded in the lives of those in marginalized communities, with narratives that examine pressing issues
Babi | dir. Namewee, Malaysia 2020 | North American Premiere. TBD
A Balance | dir. Yujiro Harumoto, Japan 2020 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
I Don’t Fire Myself | dir. Lee Tae-Gyeom, South Korea 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
Ninja Girl | dir. Yu Irie, Japan 2021 | World Premiere. In-person Only
The Silent Forest | dir. Ko Chen-nien, Taiwan 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
Three Sisters | dir. Lee Seung-won, South Korea 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
Tough Out | dir. Xu Hui-jing, China 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
The Way We Keep Dancing | dir. Adam Wong, Hong Kong 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
STANDOUTS
Exceptional films, regardless of their premiere status
Blue | dir. Keisuke Yoshida, Japan 2021 | U.S. Premiere. Virtual Only
The Book of Fish | dir. Lee Joon-ik, South Korea 2021 | International Premiere. In-person Only
A Leg | dir. Chang Yaosheng, Taiwan 2020 | US Continental Premiere. In-person & Virtual
Samjin Company English Class | dir. Lee Jong-pil, South Korea 2020 | New York Premiere. In-person & Virtual
Under the Open Sky | dir. Miwa Nishikawa, Japan 2020 | New York Premiere. In-person Only
VANGUARDS
Original films that break away from formalistic and/or narrative conventions
As We Like It | dir. Muni Wei, Chen Hung-i, Taiwan 2021 | East Coast Premiere. Virtual Only
Barbarian Invasion | dir. Tan Chui Mui, Malaysia, China, 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
Junk Head | dir. Takahide Hori, Japan 2021 | U.S. Premiere. In-person Only
Over the Town | dir. Rikiya Imaizumi, Japan 2020 | U.S. Premiere. Virtual Only
Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me? | dir. Takahiro Horie, Japan 2021 | World Premiere. In-person Only
Zokki | dir. Naoto Takenaka, Takayuki Yamada, Takumi Saitoh, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only