June 2025

This issue of the Asian Cinema Digest brings film recommendations from summery romance flicks to folkloric horror and action thrillers. Check out some auteur-focused reads spotlighting the works of Hong Sang-soo, Masaaki Yuasa, and Wong Kar Wai. 

 

TO SEE

Asian Film Archive: Twin Tales: Éric Rohmer and Hong Sang-soo

The Asian Film Archive presents Twin Tales, a special programme featuring six pairings of films by French New Wave director Éric Rohmer and prolific Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo. Whether set against the seasonal rhythms of France or the winter landscapes of Seoul, both directors craft intimate, deceptively simple, philosophical worlds from the mundanity of everyday life, navigating moral quandaries through meandering walks, long, awkward dinners, chance encounters, and mistaken identities. 

Twin Tales provides an entry point into Rohmer’s oeuvre through widely acclaimed works including The Green Ray (1986), A Summer’s Tale (1996), and My Night at Maud’s (1969), alongside early, foundational films by Hong including Woman is the Future of Man (2004), Woman on the Beach (2006), and Night and Day (2008). Catch an exclusive post-screening online Q&A with Rohmer’s longtime editor Mary Stephen after the 20 July screening of A Summer’s Tale. 

Twin Tales: Éric Rohmer and Hong Sang-soo runs from 5 – 27 July 2025 at Oldham Theatre. Tickets and suggested film pairings here.

 

Criterion Channel: Johnnie To Essentials

Criterion Channel features 12 films from Johnnie To, a maestro of Hong Kong cinema. To’s movies blend choreographed violence and moral push-and-pull, transforming the heroic-bloodshed genre into something more contemplative, operatic, and idiosyncratic. Catch the genre-mashing superhero flick The Heroic Trio (1993) and its sequel, Executioners (1993), starring Anita Mui, Michelle Yeoh, and Maggie Cheung, as well as other hallmark films like PTU (2003), Throw Down (2004), and Election (2005). Now streaming on Criterion Channel.

 

Nowness Asia: Spring Will Come (2024)

Nowness Asia spotlights Marion Hoàng Ngọc Hill’s Spring Will Come (2024), a poignant short about the inner lives of people confronted by distance— from home, belonging, intimacy and love. Set against a soundtrack of iconic Vietnamese songs from the 70s, a young DJ and her girlfriend struggle to end their relationship as a strange Vietnamese-American woman arrives at their doorstep. Available for screening now on Nowness Asia.

 

TO LISTEN

Filmi Ladies Episode 147: Merry Meena

Pitu and Beth from the Filmi Ladies podcast explore actress Meena Kumari’s extensive filmography. Known as the tragedy queen of Hindi cinema, Kumari starred in hallmark drama films including Parineeta (1953), Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960), and Mere Apne (1971). Turning to her more light-hearted movies, Beth and Pitu discuss Miss Marry (1957) and Kohinoor (1960). They also consider the social relevance of comedies from the past and the figure of the tragic heroine within popular culture.

 

Deep Cut Podcast: 101. HKIFF49 Dispatch

Wilson from the Deep Cut podcast chats with Benjamin and Eli about the films he saw at the 49th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Listen along for a brief recap of titles including Wang Bing’s Youth Trilogy, Constance Tsang’s Blue Sun Palace (2024), and Jiang Xiaoxuan’s To Kill A Mongolian Horse (2024).

 

TO READ

CHA Journal Blog: 𝐾𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑛: Horror and Folklore as an Art Form

Writer Tushi Gogoi delves into Masaki Kobayashi’s Kwaidan (1964), widely regarded as one of the finest anthology horror films ever created. An adaptation of Lafcadio Hearn’s collection of Japanese folktales of the same title, Kobayashi infuses unique aesthetics and a metafictional turn to create a pioneering work in the canon of Japanese horror. Gogoi dissects Kobayashi’s use of avante-garde set designs and an Edo-influenced aesthetic sensibility to construct a haunting and visually arresting film.

 

CHA Journal Blog: On the Construction of the Eros Image in Hong Sang-soo’s Films

Writing for Cha Journal Blog, Xu Hanyin explores Hong Sang-soo’s work, tracing the pursuit of Eros and the incarnate, transformative presence of his muse Kim Min-hee in his oeuvre. Xu suggests that Hong’s films function as personal reflections of his evolving relationship with Kim, and the throughline of powerlessness in his films do not represent weakness, but rather ardent devotion to his muse, Kim. It is only through the deconstruction of his own ego that Eros- a love for the ideals of beauty and goodness- and true spiritual connection between souls can emerge.

(Additionally, check out Oh Jin-woo’s meditative video essay which traces the thematic undercurrents of Gravity and Grace in Hong’s films, montage-style.)

Catch other Hong Sang-soo works paired with films by French New Wave director Éric Rohmer at Oldham Theatre between 5-27 July 2025, tickets here.

Yokogao Mag: Masaaki Yuasa and the Wild Grammar of Animation 

Writing for Yokogao Mag, Sébastien Raineri surveys Masaaki Yuasa’s experimental, boundary-bending animated works. Referencing primarily Yuasa’s seminal Mind Game (2004), Raineri examines the filmmaker’s use of formal radicalism, fragmented narratives, and absurd metaphysics to create joyously chaotic, yet profoundly humanist works. Yuasa’s unique style and cinema embraces the unexpected and rejects rigid conventions and the bounds of what is known, encouraging resistance, experimentation, and play.

 

Sight and Sound: Wong Kar Wai on In the Mood for Love at 25

Twenty-five years after its premiere, Sam Wigley and Wong Kar Wai look back on the era-defining romantic masterwork. Wong shares about In the Mood for Love’s Y2K and culinary influences, his original intentions for the film and its characters, as well as the intrinsic role of the score in shaping the emotional landscape of the film. Revisiting the touchstone work, Wong also expresses his hopes for the accompanying short In the Mood for Love 2001, a nine-minute coda to the film which is slated for international theatrical release.

 

TO SUBMIT

Call for Submissions: 39th Singapore International Film Festival

Singapore International Film Festival  showcases international films, provides a global platform for the best of Singapore cinema, enabling established and aspiring filmmakers to premiere their films to an audience of local and international film buffs. The application guidelines can be found here, and the deadline for early bird submissions is 30 June 2025.

 

Call for Submissions: 27th Bucheon International Animation Festival

Back for its 27th edition, the Bucheon International Animation Festival accepts submissions in 5 competition categories- Feature, Short, Graduation, TV & Commissioned, and Korean Shorts. BIAF Grand Prize-winning films will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film category at the Academy Awards. The application guidelines can be found here, and the deadline for short film submissions is 30 June 2025.

 

Call for Submissions: 20th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival

Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival ( JAFF ) is a premier Asian film festival in Indonesia focusing on the development of Asian cinema. JAFF works closely with NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) to present awards to the best films in Asia such as Golden Hanoman Award, Silver Hanoman Award, NETPAC Award, Blencong Award, Geber Award, Jogja Students Film Award, and JAFF-Indonesian Screen Awards. The application guidelines can be found here, and the deadline for submissions is 30 June 2025.

 

Call for Submissions: 38th Tokyo International Film Festival

Tokyo International Film Festival is one of Asia’s only competitive film festivals, and the only Japanese festival accredited by the FIAPF. TIFF accepts submissions for the Tokyo Grand Prix and Special Jury Prize categories. The application guidelines can be found here, and the deadline for short film submissions is 7 July 2025.

 

Call for Submissions: 38th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Netherlands) is the leading festival for the art of documentary film and new media. Every November, IDFA presents a trend-setting program of 250 selected titles in six competitions, several thematic sections, and a physical exhibition. The application guidelines can be found here, and the deadline for submissions is 10 July 2025.

 

This edition of the Asian Cinema Digest was compiled by Kuo Yi Quan. The Asian Cinema Digest is a monthly compilation of content taking place internationally involving Asian cinema and the moving image. Featured programmes are not representative of AFA’s views and are unaffiliated to the AFA unless otherwise stated.