Just a week after the first wave was announced, the final line-up is here for the 24th New York Asian Film Festival which kicks off on July 11.
I have to say though, the first wave didn’t really hit me as much as I hoped it would according to some genre delights, although there were several titles out of Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand that got my attention. As of Wednesday, that list has grown by just a tad more, now with several listings out of South Korea, along with in-person screenings with stars/directors set to attend, including Golden Globe-winning actor Tadanobu Asano who appears in Ravens, and a massive list of Uncaged Award nominees.
I might post a curtain raiser to up the ante a bit but do spool through the line-up below and hey, if you’re in the area, click here and here for ticketing info!
NEW YORK, NY (June 18, 2025) — The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) and Film at Lincoln Center today unveil the final wave of programming for its bold and boundary-pushing 24th edition, adding 50+ films to an already explosive lineup. NYAFF 2025 runs July 11–27 across four venues in Manhattan and champions one unifying theme: Cinema as Disruption.
Following last week’s first wave announcement, this second reveal includes the Uncaged Award competition, a historic Vietnam Cinema Night celebration, and provocative sidebars that challenge every assumption about Asian cinema.
Since 2002, NYAFF has served as North America’s premier showcase for Asian film, spotlighting the next generation of cinematic voices. It has introduced audiences to future icons—from early Bong Joon Ho to the Thai horror revolution—and continues to define the cultural moment.
“This completes our most ambitious program ever,” says Samuel Jamier, NYAFF Executive Director. “Eight breakthrough filmmakers competing for Uncaged, plus sidebars that reimagine what Asian cinema can be. This full-circle moment reminds us why NYAFF exists: to support bold artists before the world fully recognizes them—and to celebrate how far they’ve come.”
This year’s festival opens with a bang: the Opening Night world premiere of Informant, a riotous Korean action-comedy that sets the tone for a radically inclusive lineup. Director Kim Seok will attend the premiere alongside actor Heo Sung-tae, internationally recognized for his memorable role in Squid
Game. Highlights from this second wave also include Ravens with Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun) in attendance, plus standout Taiwan and Thailand programs featuring the 4K restoration of horror classic Shutter and Thailand’s Attack 13 with the cast and director in attendance.
Also announced: a special Vietnam Cinema Night, along with new spotlights such as Queer Unbound, the Shanghai Animation Studio Retrospective, and North Korean Cool—a sidebar reframing the role of North Korean characters in popular storytelling. The festival will also welcome an exciting roster of guests from across Asia and the global diaspora.
Completing this second announcement is the full 100+ lineup of the festival and its signature competitive section Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film Competition, celebrating visionary filmmakers who challenge cinematic conventions. This year’s competition continues to spotlight emerging filmmakers who embody the festival’s 2025 theme, Cinema as Disruption. Eight features—ranging from genre-defying debuts to award-winning breakthroughs—have been nominated for the prize.
The 2025 Uncaged Award nominees are:
● Time to Be Strong (힘을 낼 시간) – Namkoong Sun, South Korea (Jeonju 2024 Grand Prize)
● Green Wave (前程似锦) – Xu Lei, China (Pingyao Jury Award)
● Family Matters (我家的事) – Pan Ke-yin, Taiwan (Osaka Asian Film Fest – joint Best Actor ensemble)● Montages of a Modern Motherhood (虎毒不) – Oliver Chan Siu-kuen, Hong Kong (North American Premiere)
● Deep in the Mountain (如意饭店) – Li Yongyi, China (directorial debut of award‑winning editor)
● Jinsei – Ryuya Suzuki, Japan (Solo‑animated feature, Annecy competitor)
● Travesty – Baatar Batsukh, Mongolia (Busan world premiere)
● Skin of Youth (Ồn Ào Tuổi Trẻ) – Ash Mayfair, Vietnam/Singapore (North American Premiere)
All competition directors are expected to attend for Q&As and the festival’s Closing Night Awards Ceremony on July 27.
The festival is presented with major support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY), Thailand Creative Culture Agency (THACCA), Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, Fundstrat Global Advisors, and the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), with additional support from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Their partnership helps amplify some of the most vital and dynamic voices in Asian cinema today.
UNCAGED AWARD JURY
● MASUMI – Japanese-American actress and former singer-songwriter. Known for her lead role in Yakuza Princess (2021) and as Fujibayashi Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2025).
● Tzi Ma – Veteran actor (The Farewell, Kung Fu, Interior Chinatown). NY-born, Hong Kong–raised industry icon and longtime advocate for Asian American storytelling.
● Michael Werner – Hong Kong-based producer and consultant. Former co-chair of Fortissimo Films. Recent works include All Shall Be Well (Berlinale 2024) and Sunny Side of the Street (Golden Horse winner).
● Yao – Actor of Chinese and Filipino descent, known for his breakout role in #LookAtMe (NYAFF 2022 Best Performance winner) and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025). NYAFF alum and Yale-trained performer.
● Banjong Pisanthanakun – Thai filmmaker and genre pioneer. Director of Shutter (2004), Pee Mak (Thailand’s highest-grossing film), and The Medium (2021), Thailand’s Oscar entry.
SHORTS JURY
● Patrick Chen – Chinese-American director known for A Father’s Son (2022), Chen is a former board member of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.
● Aimee Long – Director and producer, raised in Paris, Beijing, and San Francisco, Aimee is best known for A Shot Through The Wall (2021).
● Bradley Tangonan – Hawai’i Born Filipino-American Tangonan is best known for his award-winning intersectional visual narratives, including Wilder Palms (2017) and River Of Small Gods (2023).● Kirsten Tan – Singaporean director and screenwriter Tan is best known for her feature premiere, Sundance Award winner Pop Aye (2017).
● Joey Carranza – Festival & Exhibitions Director at Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, Carranza is a New York City-based community builder and festival director.
Special Programming Spotlights:
● Vietnam Cinema Night: Featuring the North American premiere of Skin of Youth and a panel with Tony Bui (Three Seasons, Columbia University), iconic entertainer Việt Hương, legendary actress Kieu Chinh, and rising director Catherine Nguyen: “Vietnam on Screen: Generations in Dialogue.”
● Queer Unbound: Featuring seven LGBTQ+ focused films including Bel Ami, Skin of Youth, and Sylvia Chang–starrer Daughter’s Daughter.
● Shanghai Animation Studio Retrospective: 4K restorations of landmark Chinese animated films, and brand-new feature A Story About Fire.
● NYAFF Rediscoveries: A series of restored titles, including the 2K restoration of Taiwanese classic Gorgeous.
● Horrorscope: East Asia’s dark side, featuring eight chilling films including the Hong Kong zombie horror Possession Street and hit Japanese creeper Dollhouse.
● North Korean Cool: An action-focused sidebar on how North Korean characters have become slick operatives, tragic heroes, and sharp-edged mirrors of South Korean fears, fantasies, and politics.
More than 50 filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals will attend NYAFF 2025, including directors and cast members from across the festival lineup. A complete guest list is available at nyaff.org.
Guest Highlights
● Taiwanese star Vivian Sung (Our Times, Take Me To The Moon) will be in attendance with her latest, Korean-Taiwanese co-production The Secret House.
● Korean action star Heo Sung-tae (Squid Game) will be in attendance for the Opening Night film Informant.
● Filipino sensation Sue Ramirez (The Kingdom) will be in attendance for the Closing Night film Flower Girl.
● Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun) will be in attendance for Masahisa Fukase’s biopic Ravens.
FULL LINEUP: 78 feature films, 28 short films, 43 Screenings at FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER)
Please note the program is still subject to change.
Films marked with ** will screen at Film at Lincoln Center.
FEATURES
BHUTAN
**I, the Song | dir. Dechen Roder, Bhutan/Norway/Italy/France, 2024 | East Coast Premiere
CHINA
**Bel Ami | dir. Geng Jun, China, 2024 | North American Premiere
Deep In The Mountain | dir. Li Yongyi, China, 2025 | North American Premiere
Girls On Wire | dir. Vivian Qu, China, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Green Wave | dir. Xu Lei, China, 2024 | North American Premiere
Legend Of The Sealed Book – 4K Restoration | dir. Wang Shuchen, China, 1983 | North American
Premiere
**A Man and a Woman | dir. Guan Hu, China, 2024 | International Premiere
The Monkey King – Uproar In Heaven – 4K Restoration | dir. Wan Laiming, Tang Cheng, China, 1963 |
North American Premiere
**My Friend An Delie | dir. Dong Zijian, China, 2024 | New York Premiere
A Story About Fire | dir. Li Wenyu, China, 2025 | North American Premiere
**To Kill a Mongolian Horse | dir. Xiaoxuan Jiang, China, 2024 | New York Premiere
HONG KONG (presented with the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York)
**Behind the Shadows | dir. Jonathan Li, Chou Man-Yu, Hong Kong, 2024 | North American Premiere
The Last Dance – Extended Version | dir. Anselm Chan, Hong Kong, 2024 | New York Premiere
**Last Song for You | dir. Jill Leung, Hong Kong, 2024 | North American Premiere
**Montages of a Modern Motherhood | dir. Oliver Chan Siu-kuen, Hong Kong, 2024 | North American
Premiere
Papa | dir. Philip Yung, Hong Kong , 2024 | Special Screening
**Possession Street | dir. Jack Lai, Hong Kong 2024 | North American Premiere
**Smashing Frank | dir. Trevor Choi, Hong Kong, 2024 | U.S. Premiere
**Valley of the Shadow of Death | dir. Jeffrey Lam Sen, Antonio Tam, Hong Kong, 2024 | North American
Premiere
**The Way We Talk | dir. Adam Wong, Hong Kong, 2024 | North American Premiere
**Young and Dangerous | dir. Andrew Lau, Hong Kong, 1996, 35mm | Special Screening
INDONESIA
Gowok: Javanese Kamasutra | dir. Hanung Bramantyo, Indonesia, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Perang Kota This City Is a Battlefield | dir. Mouly Surya,
Indonesia/Singapore/Netherlands/France/Norway/Philippines/Cambodia, 2024 | North American
Premiere
JAPAN
9 Souls | dir. Toshiaki Toyoda, Japan, 2003 | Special Screening
Babanba Banban Vampire | dir. Shinji Hamasaki, Japan, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Blue Spring | dir. Toshiaki Toyoda, Japan, 2002 | Special Screening
**Dollhouse | dir. Shinobu Yaguchi, Japan, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Hanging Garden | dir. Toshiaki Toyoda, Japan, 2005 | Special Screening
**How Dare You? | dir. Mipo O, Japan, 2025 | North American Premiere
Jinsei | dir. Ryuya Suzuki, Japan, 2025 | North American Premiere
Missing Child Videotape | dir. Ryota Kondo, Japan, 2024 | North American Premiere
**Ravens | dir. Mark Gill, Japan, France, Spain, Belgium, 2024 | East Coast Premiere
Samurai Fury | dir. Yu Irie, Japan, 2025 | U.S. Premiere
**Transcending Dimensions | dir. Toshiaki Toyoda, Japan, 2025 | North American Premiere
MALAYSIA
**Pavane for an Infant | dir. Chong Keat Aun, Malaysia, Hong Kong, 2024 | North American Premiere
MONGOLIA
Travesty | dir. Batsukh Baatar, Mongolia, 2024 | North American Premiere
MYANMAR
**MA – Cry of Silence | dir. The Maw Naing, Myanmar/South Korea/Singapore/France/Norway/Qatar,
2024 | North American Premiere
PHILIPPINES
Flower Girl (Closing Night Film) | dir. Fatrick Tabada, Philippines, 2025 | International Premiere
**The Hearing | dir. Lawrence Fajardo, Philippines, 2024 | North American Premiere
**Lilim | dir. Mikhail Red, Philippines, 2025 | North American Premiere
Sunshine | dir. Antoinette Jadaone, Philippines, 2024 | New York Premiere
SOUTH KOREA (Co-presented with Korean Cultural Center New York)
Commitment | dir. Park Hong-soo, South Korea, 2013 | Special Screening
**Forbidden Fairytale | dir. Lee Jong-suk, South Korea, 2024 | North American Premiere
**Fragment | dir. Kim Sung-yoon, South Korea, 2024 | U.S. Premiere
The Front Line | Jang Hoon, South Korea, 2011 | Special Screening
**A Girl with Closed Eyes | dir. Chun Sun-young, South Korea, 2024 | North American Premiere
**Hear Me: Our Summer | dir. Jo Seon-ho, South Korea, 2024 | North American Premiere
Hidden Face | dir. Kim Dae-woo, South Korea, 2024 | North American Premiere
Horoomon | dir. Lee Il-ha, South Korea, 2025 | International Premiere
**Informant (Opening Night Film) | dir. Kim Seok, South Korea, 2024 | World Premiere
Method Acting | dir. Lee Ki-hyuk, South Korea, 2024 | International Premiere
The Old Woman with the Knife | dir. Min Kyu-dong, South Korea, 2024 | New York Premiere
Omniscient Reader: The Prophet | dir. Kim Byong-woo, South Korea, 2025 | North American Premiere
**The Secret House | dir. Park Sang-min, South Korea, Taiwan, 2025 | North American Premiere
Somebody | dir. Lee Jung-chan, Kim Yeo-jung, South Korea, 2024 | New York Premiere
The Suspect | dir. Won Shin-yun, South Korea, 2013 | Special Screening
Swing Kids | dir. Kang Hyeong-cheol, South Korea, 2018 | Special Screening
Time To Be Strong | dir. Namkoong Sun, South Korea, 2024 | North American Premiere
TAIWAN (presented with the support of Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York)
Daughter’s Daughter | dir. Huang Xi, Taiwan, 2024 | U.S. Premiere
The Embers | dir. Chung Mong-hong, Taiwan, 2024 | East Coast Premiere
Family Matters | dir. Pan Ke-yin, Taiwan, 2025 | North American Premiere
Gorgeous 2K Restoration | dir. Chang Mei-chun, Taiwan, 1985 | International Premiere
Islanders Ep. 1, 2 (Series) | dir. Ler Jiyuan, Tsai Pao-chang, Taiwan, 2025 | International Premiere (Series)
**Lovesick | dir. Hsu Fu-hsiang, Taiwan, 2025 | North American Premiere
Organ Child | dir. Chieh Shueh Bin, Taiwan, 2024 | North American Premiere
**Unexpected Courage | dir. Shawn Yu, Taiwan, 2025 | International Premiere
THAILAND (presented with the support of Thailand Creative Culture Agency – THACCA)
404 Run Run | dir. Seua Pichaya Jarasboonpracha, Thailand, 2024 | North American Premiere
**Attack 13 | dir. Taweewat Wantha, Thailand, 2025 | International Premiere
**Flat Girls | dir. Jirassaya Wongsutin, Thailand, 2025 | North American Premiere
Panor | dir. Putipong Saisikaew, Thailand, 2025 | North American Premiere
**The Red Envelope | dir. Chayanop Boonprakob, Thailand, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Shutter (4K restoration) | dir. Parkpoom Wongpoom, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Thailand, 2004 | North
American Premiere
**The Stone | dir. Pae Arak Amornsupasiri, Wutthipong Sukkhanintr, Thailand, 2025 | North American
Premiere
U.S.
**1 Girl Infinite | dir. Lilly Hu, U.S., 2024 | North American Premiere
Earl. | dir. Ty Kim, United States, 2024 | East Coast Premiere
**Lisa Lu Plays Herself | dir. Chen Mei-Juin, U.S., 2025 | World Premiere
Queerpanorama | dir. Jun Li, United States, Hong Kong, 2024 | New York Premiere
VIETNAM
**Skin of Youth | dir. Ash Mayfair, Vietnam, 2025 | North American Premiere
SHORT FILMS BY PROGRAM
Preceding feature Skin of Youth:
Colors of the Sky’s End | dir. Catherine T. Nguyen, Vietnam, 2025 | World Premiere
Toshiaki Toyoda’s Go Seppuku Yourselves & Other Tales
Wolf’s Calling | dir. Toshiaki Toyoda, Japan, 2019 | Special Screening
The Day OF Destruction | dir. Toshiaki Toyoda, Japan, 2020 | Special Screening
Go Seppuku Yourselves | dir. Toshiaki Toyoda, Japan, 2019 | Special Screening
**Shorts Program 1: The Kids We Were
Better Life | dir. Jessica Liu, United States, 2025 | World Premiere
The Black Dog | dir. Ling Yang, Taiwan, 2024 | North American Premiere
Hippopotami | dir. Lin Jianjie, China, Hong Kong, 2025 | New York Premiere
Searching for Sol | dir. Jaime Morades, Philippines, 2024 | International Premiere
Ikigai | dir. Ramazan Nanayev, United States, 2024 | World Premiere
Shorts Program 2: Uncharted Adversity
Damp | dir. Etsen Chen, Taiwan, 2025 | World Premiere
Dipolar Bipolar | dir. Quankai Li, Japan, 2025 | International Premiere
Little Rebels Cinema Club | dir. Khozy Rizal, Indonesia, 2024 | New York Premiere
Red Pocket | dir. Austin Chen, United States, 2025 | World Premiere
Rooftop Lempicka | dir. Hang Luong Nguyen, Vietnam, 2024 | New York Premiere
Sammi Who Can Detach His Body Parts | dir. Rein Maychaelson, Indonesia, 2025 | North American
Premiere
Washhh | dir. Mikey Lai, Malaysia, 2024 | New York Premiere
**Shorts Program 3: Stories From Her
Good-Mourning | dir. Nina Tsuji, Japan, 2025 | International Premiere
Inspired By Lip Balm | dir. Chien Li-ying, Taiwan, 2025 | North American Premiere
The River Runs Still | dir. Mai Huyen Chi, Vietnam, 2024 | World Premiere
Stills Moving | dir. Kevin Tsung-Hsuan Yeh, Taiwan, 2024
Three | dir. Amie Song, United States, 2024
Shorts Program 4: Portraits Of Tomorrow
The Boy From Outer Space | dir. Kim Sung-ho, South Korea, 2024
Color, Color, Color! | dir. Kim Sejin, South Korea, 2025 | World Premiere
Everybody Loves Everybody | dir. Lee Dohee, South Korea, 2025 | International Premiere
Finding The Rainbow | dir. Yang Hwanga, South Korea, 2024 | World Premiere
The Good Student | dir. Park Hobeom, South Korea, 2024 | World Premiere
The Rainbow Backpack Club | dir. Sul Heeone, South Korea, 2024 | International Premiere
