nyaff 2024

NYAFF XXIII: Awards Announced!

The 23rd New York Asian Film Festival wrapped only a few days ago and remote coverage this year was great. I didn’t get to see a lot of the films I wanted to, but I got to watch a good dozen or so, and you’re welcome to catch up on the reviews I did by clicking here. In the meantime, the awards were announced on Monday and it’s awesome to see a few of the titles this site has screened mentioned in the announcement. Check it out below! New York, NY (July 29, 2024) – The 23rd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) wrapped up a blockbuster 17-day run on Sunday night, following stage appearances by 130 acclaimed filmmakers, international stars and other notable guests from across Asia and the Asian diaspora, and screenings of over 90 films from July 12 to 28 at Film at Lincoln […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In BABY ASSASSINS: NICE DAYS, A Killer Threequel That Thrills

Lee B. Golden III

8 min. read Thanks to its ubiquitous approach to action and comedy, crafted brilliantly between the artistic vision of filmmaker Yugo Sakamoto and his chosen action director, Kensuke Sonomura, the Baby Assassins movies stand to comprise one of the most fruitful franchises of modern action cinema today. To that end, you also have to credit Sakamoto’s lead casting choices with his A Janitor co-stars, Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa, taking their pre-existing screen chemistry and applying it to the Baby Assassins universe. It is an original, and enriching world that has grown in four years, and continues to do so in a current total of now three features, the latest being Baby Assassins: Nice Days, which makes its World Premiere for the 23rd annual New York Asian Film Festival this month, ahead of a September release in Japan. Joining the franchise is a new character named Kaede (Sosuke Ikematsu). He […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In THREE SEASONS, A Genuine Article Blooms

Lee B. Golden III

3 min. read Tony Bui’s 1999 debut feature, Three Seasons, has got to be one of those titles my eyes glazed over time and again while browsing on IMDb to pass the time. The notable casting of actor Harvey Keitel would certainly lend to the film’s visibility given his screen resumé and now, the film’s Special Presentation at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival has stepped up to further protract its posterity. Directed by Bui from a script he wrote with Timothy Linh Bui, the film crosses between four intersecting lives in Saigon. Kien An (Ngọc Hiệp) is a beautiful young woman hired to help farm, pick and sell lotus flowers in the bustling streets. Rumors frame perceptions surrounding her reclusive employer, Dao (Manh Cuong Tran), while An treads carefully so as to not step on toes of the elder songstresses among the workforce. We also meet Hai (Đơn […]

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NYAFF XXIII Review: In Kazuya Shiraishi’s BUSHIDO, Death Before Dishonor

Lee B. Golden III

6.5 min. read The Blood Of Wolves and A Lesson In Murder helmer Kazuya Shiraishi is back with another offering to the festival masses. This time, his work comes inspired by a classic rakugo play that serves as the basis for author Masato Kato’s novel which released in March, and Shiraishi’s subsequent samurai drama which Kato also penned. Released in Japan back in May as Gobangiri (a.k.a. Goban Cut), Shiraishi’s new film gets a frontal rebrand as Bushido, which bodes as an aptly fitting title to welcome moviegoers abroad. And not for nothing either, with the story of a vagrant samurai whose longstanding peace post-service results in a slew of accusations that put his honor at stake in the worst way. Set in Yoshiwara, we meet Kakunoshin (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), a widower, and seal maker who lives in a poor tenement house with his daughter, Okinu (Kaya Kiyohara), who makes kimonos. […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In BREAKING AND RE-ENTERING, A Rousing Caper With Tons Of Heart

Lee B. Golden III

3 min. read Taiwanese director Leo Wang released two movies in the last five years, the first of which was fantasy crime thriller The 9th Precinct which I’ve been shamefully asleep on. That film is currently streaming on Netflix, as will his latest heist romp, Breaking And Re-entering, which enjoys its North American Premiere at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival before then. An ensemble cast led by Chen Bolin, Cecilia Choi, Frederick Lee, Kent Tsai, and JC Lin, proffers an energetic caper replicating the kind of energy presented in Wang’s reportedly favorite film in the genre – at least according to the programming notes – emulates. The story starts on the night of a major bank vault heist for a four-man crack team led by Po-chun (Chen), efforting to steal millions in won from rich banker Chen Hai-Jui (Wu Kang-ren) who also has his hands in a shady […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In BRUSH OF THE GOD, A Stroke Of Crowdsourced Excellence

Lee B. Golden III

5.5 min. read I’m not as knowledgable on kaiju cinema as, say, our own Edward Orndorff is. It’s a space of cinema with a vast history of its own and it’s one that Keizo Murase has resided in for much of his life and career, and for this, I know about as much as I can through brief reasearch and some screening I can find available to me in the course of my week. Thankfully, my latest opportune moment comes by way of Brush Of The God, another film that in a few ways brings me full circle after nearly twenty years of being a DVD collector. I watched the opening credits and saw that Yumiko Shaku and Shiro Sano were cast and the first time these actors hit my radar WAS in fact two decades ago when one of my earliest purchases from the now-defunct HKFlix online store was […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In OPERATION UNDEAD, Heroes Never Die

Lee B. Golden III

4 min. read The zombie genre is a little more fascinating, lately. Again, I’m not the target audience for this category, but I love good fun and spectacle where it is. That’s where I give the kind of due credit Muay Thai Chaiya director Kongkiat Komesiri so earns for his latest feat, Operation Undead. Set during Thailand’s involvement in World War II, the film immerses itself in a millieu of absolute terror that goes beyond the expectant horrors of war. Back room politics and skullduggery are at the center of it all as a Japanese scientist’s prototypical experiment gets unleashed unto a Thai battlefield, endangering nearby villages in the process. The weapon in question, Nobu (Assanai Yungyuen), a Japanese soldier infected with Fumetsu-A44 – a biological weapon that grows contagious with the host’s bite – effectively turning victims into other reanimated hosts. Such is the terror that awaits a squad […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In Han Dong-Seok’s THE SIN, A Hankering, Engrossing Horror Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

4 min. read I don’t dabble a lot with horror movies, so it’s always a fascinating find when I blindly stumbleupon a title like The Sin. The movie is Han Dong-seok’s feature debut getting its North American Premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival this month, and I’m honestly happy I decided to dive into this one during my pre-fest coverage. Si-young (Kim Yoon-hye) is an actress and a dancer faced with a traumatic past that afflicts her to this day. Raring to work and hired by a celebrated and ambitious filmmaker for an avant garde musical project to be shot at a remote location, it’s not long before Si-young and the crew realize the sudden danger they’re in. People are killed only to be mysterious resurrected, while survivors then find themselves trapped and either chased by the undead, or hunted by mysterious men with rifles. What remains to […]

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NYAFF XXIII Review: In WOLF HIDING, Nick Cheung And Co. Show Their Teeth With Unflinching Ferocity

Lee B. Golden III

4.5 min. read Actor Marc Ma’s screen filmography has popped up a few times on our radar over the years. As of late, he’s a standout on both sides of the lens with his feature debut, Wolf Hiding, open to IQIYI subscribers as of late last year and now testing international waters with a North American Premiere before audiences of the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival. It’s an action pic too, so you know I was keen on catching this one. Best of all is that it has Nick Cheung brimming with energy in this film as the discernible lead, and with actors like Taiwanese talents Ethan Juan, and Darren Wang, and also Danny Chan who sheds the more prolific Bruce Lee persona of some of his hit roles for a more entrenched role that allows him to maintain his substance. The movie also brings on board screen veteran […]

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NYAFF XXIII Review: In 12.12: THE DAY, A Fated, Cautionary Tale Of The Painfully Obvious

Lee B. Golden III

4.5 min. read Korean cinema is wild AF. 1997 coming-of-age crime thriller, Beat, is one of my prouder viewing experiences of the last twenty years. It was a blind buy from a Korean bookstore near Herald Square at the time, and it would inevitably put director Kim Sung-su, and actor Jung Woo-sung squarely on my radar for years to come. The two have worked together several more times since then, a pattern that continued earnestly with 12.12: The Day, which opened for South Korean audiences last Fall. The film is also available on digital in the U.S. from 815 Pictures, and also served as a Prime Pick presentation for its audience at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival. Kicking things off is an emergency bunker meeting with top officials following the assassination of South Korean President Park Chung-hee, who served 18 years in office before his death. With Choi […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In Herman Yau’s CUSTOMS FRONTLINE, Tse And Cheung (Mostly) Get The Job Done

Lee B. Golden III

TW: This review discusses self-harm, mental illness and suicide. 6.5 min. read Hong Kong filmmaker Herman Yau’s stride continues in 2024. He has a couple of titles already circulating screens in the U.S.. One of those titles is Customs Frontline which opened in Hong Kong earlier this month and is now poised to screen for audiences of the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival in time for its North American release from Well Go USA Entertainment on Friday. Set against the background of two warring East African countries, Yau’s thriller starts to bringinto focus the lead General of one of those countries whose latest deal with a weapons marketeer trading out of Thailand suddenly makes landfall in Hong Kong territory when the feeder boat carrying its engine shuts down. When the Hong Kong Customs agents set out to investigate, it leads to an additionally gruesome discovery, on top of a […]

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NYAFF XXIII Review: In Nelicia Low’s PIERCE, Dueling Sides Come To A Head With Intense Results

Lee B. Golden III

4.5 min. read Getting the Best Director win over at Karlovy Vary this month, burgeoning director Nelicia Low’s latest drama, Pierce, now makes its case before audiences at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival for its North American Premiere. Zijie (Liu Hsiu-Fu) is a young fencing prospect who lives with his mother (Ding Ning). They share a pretty dark and tragic past, one outlined by the death of his father, and even more prominently, the jailing of his older brother, Zihan (Tsao Yu-Ning), who himself was once a three time fencing champion on their club’s team. As the film tells it, Zihan was jailed seven years earlier for presumably killing his opponent during a match, and its within the first act of the film when Zijie suprisingly learns that Zihan is finally getting out of jail. This isn’t something the mother wanted Zijie to find out either. Until now, […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In PATTAYA HEAT, A Crackling Thai Crime Thriller That Mostly Cooks

Lee B. Golden III

7.5 min read Four films in throughout his career, Eastern Bandits and Blood Of Youth helmer Yang Shupeng’s latest effort transplants him to Thailand for the new flick, Pattaya Heat (a.k.a. All Men Are Brothers). Thai cinemas got a taste of it back in February for its theatrical release, and the film now makes way for attendees at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival this month for its North American Premiere. A shot overlooking the seedy, neon-lit streets of Pattaya is seen, joined by the V.O. narration of Chai (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), a beat cop waxing poetic over the street’s history, and how he used to be in charge. The years have since whittled away any clout the now-Sergeant once had as a shotcaller with a badge, toiling away at life as a grieving widower with mentally-ill daughter, and a gambling debt that now threatens to erode any means he […]

NYAFF XXIII: Fifteen Titles To Feast Your Eyes On This Year’s Festival

Lee B. Golden III

The 23rd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival is just DAYS away, and you can guarantee some of the more favored titles are already sold out. Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, Soi Cheang’s overseas box office hit graphic novel adaptation, took two years to hit screens after circulating the markets and is now on deck to be one of the most exciting entries of this year’s event. The same goes for Herman Yau’s upcoming Well Go USA acquisition, Customs Frontline, etching another history maker for leading man Nicholas Tse who gets to co-sign his screenfighting chops as action director. In addition, you have Baby Assassins: Nice Days, third in line for director Yugo Sakamoto who is not only readying an episodic spin-off drama for his franchise, but is also primed to collect the festival’s coveted Daniel A. Craft award for Excellence in Action Cinema. There’s also the […]

ESCAPE Review: Lee Je-Hoon Battles His Way Though Fascism And Unfriendly Fire In Lee Jong-Pil’s Subversive And Daring New Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Escape opens in theaters on July 5 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The movie will also screen for the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival later this month. 4 min. read Filmmaker Lee Jong-pil’s new thriller, Escape, doesn’t hesitate before pulling you into its sights. The movie instantly sets its pace surrounding the tenacious efforts of a North Korean soldier’s quest for freedom, intricately planning a dangerous trek to the DMZ just as he nears the end of his mandatory military service. Gym-nam (Lee Je-hoon) has an elaborate plan, one that requires precision timing and strategy according if he’s to be successful. Having already mapped out a path from his barracks, and into a tunnel beneath the base’s electric fence, as well as a deadly minefield, it’s only a matter of days before he can act and make his way to the DMZ and cross the border safely. It’s a […]

NYAFF XXIII Brims With Additional Titles And Big Name Honorees And Award Recipients In Second Wave!

Lee B. Golden III

UPDATE – 7:13pm EST: A previous version of this article was updated to include late additions to the selection of nominated directors for the Uncaged Award jury. It goes without saying that the 23rd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival is top priority among others for this site. Its line-up is already rich with enticing titles advancing their way here and as of Tuesday, the second wave just adds to the awesome. A few nods here include a wide array of shorts, as well as a line-up of stars and laureates being celebrated including Nicholas Tse whose new actioner Customs Frontline is screening for the festival, and Yugo Sakamoto who gets the prized Daniel A. Craft award this year as his latest installment of the Baby Assassins franchise will also play for the crowd. Read the presser in whole below, and as always, visit the official links for […]

NYAFF XXIII Unveils The First Wave Of Titles Ahead Of July’s Events!

Lee B. Golden III

I’ve been waiting for this announcement to come. The New York Film Festival has been good to this platform in the last six years and with the arrival of the summer season, it was only a matter of time before any news would arise. The socials were throwing around some hints to the followings and I hadn’t a clue, but…like everyone else in the wider loop, now I do. The premiere announcement below has all you need to know on what’s to come between July and August, and you’re gonna want to really look at it… No, seriously. Look at it. And then tune back in next week, because this is just the half of it! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THE NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FOUNDATION AND FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER ANNOUNCE FIRST HIGHLIGHTS FROM 23RD EDITION OF THE NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL This year’s festival features a […]