Announcing the NYAFF 2023 Program Highlights
On July 14, 2023, the New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center will kick off the 22nd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), with 70+ new and classic titles, a greatly expanded selection of short films, and an exciting slate of celebrated guests from Asia and the diaspora. The festival runs from July 14–30, 2023 at Film at Lincoln Center (FLC), with a special weekend of screenings (July 21–23) at a new venue, the historic Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the birthplace of the motion picture industry in America.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be announcing more films and special guests. But for now, here are some initial highlights to mark on your calendar:
Opening Film
NYAFF 2023 commences with the North American premiere of the distinctive Korean film, Killing Romance, helmed by Lee Won-suk. The premiere at Film at Lincoln Center will be graced by the director himself, alongside his leading actor, Lee Sun-kyun. Known for his role in Parasite and a diverse career ranging from arthouse to rom-coms, Sun-kyun brings his versatile acting skills to portray the unforgettably overbearing husband of a fallen supermodel. Having had a successful history with NYAFF, including his debut film in 2013 and an Audience Award in 2015, we’re delighted to welcome back director Lee Won-suk with his third feature.
Hong Kong
This year’s Hong Kong Panorama, NYAFF’s genesis, brings together genre nostalgia and poignant drama, outlining the potential future of the island’s cinema. Highlights include:
▪ Nomad (Director’s Cut): a new 4K restoration of Patrick Tam’s 1982 Hong Kong New Wave watershed piece that enhances the film’s outré mix of romance and violence, featuring Leslie Cheung in one of his early great roles.
▪ Mad Fate: cutting-edge noir auteur Soi Cheang harkens back to the region’s time-honored legacy of crime films with a new sense of urgency and manic energy.
▪ Everyphone Everywhere: Amos Why captures pandemic-era life in Hong Kong via the city’s reliance on cell phones like no other film, and has more to say on recent social shifts than hours of CNN commentary.
▪ The Sunny Side of the Street: sees the incomparable Anthony Wong lending salty sympathy to new immigrants.
▪ A Light Never Goes Out: highlights the city’s iconic neon craftwork and all its storied achievements, offering a unique love letter to the island’s culture.
Louis Koo, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent actors and producers, will be honored with NYAFF’s Extraordinary Star Asia Award. Koo’s prolific career boasts over 100 credits, including Warriors of Future, Asia’s highest-grossing film. The award recognizes Koo’s significant contributions as a producer, philanthropist, and founder of industry powerhouse One Cool Group. Among many films starring Koo showcased at NYAFF, standouts include the White Storm trilogy, Paradox, and his latest drama, Vital Signs. NYAFF will also feature the latest One Cool production, In Broad Daylight, a harrowing exposé on care home abuse.
China
Our China lineup features groundbreaking work and pays tribute to director and producer Zhang Wei, known for his realistic portrayals of China’s marginalized groups. Amidst U.S.-China tension, his influential films – The Empty Nest, Factory Boss, and The Rib (Director’s Cut) – hold special significance, addressing pressing societal issues through relatable characters and poignant narratives. Other North American premieres include:
▪ A Woman: Wang Chao’s sweeping narrative of a female factory worker during the Cultural Revolution.
▪ Art College 1994: Liu Jian’s satirical animation showcasing student life during a time when the future held new promise.
South Korea
NYAFF’s bold and diverse South Korean lineup, presented with the support of the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), showcases diverse gems, including:
▪ Phantom: Lee Hae-young’s action-driven spy drama set in 1933 and one of this year’s biggest hits in the country.
▪ Bear Man: Park Sung-kwang’s boisterous family comedy featuring Park Sung-woong in two indelible roles.
▪ Hail to Hell: the impressive feature debut of female helmer Lim Oh-jeong, about two oddballs who track down the bully who pushed them to the brink of suicide.
▪ Rebound: a rousing underdog dramedy from Chang Hang-jun, in which a group of misfits comes together to play nonstop basketball for eight days straight in the KBA National Tournament.
▪ A Tour Guide: a touching and timely story from Kwak Eun-mi of a young North Korean defector who excels at leading Chinese-language tours of Seoul but lives a maladjusted, precarious life as a stranger in a strange land.
Japan
NYAFF’s Japanese lineup, supported by the Japan Foundation, is led by the North American Premiere of veteran auteur Junji Sakamoto’s audacious, aesthetically brilliant new jidaigeki, Okiku and the World, which he will be on hand to introduce. Other must-sees include:
▪ Egoist: Daishi Matsunaga’s celebrated LGBTQ+ romance, with a heartrending performance by Ryohei Suzuki, the 2023 NYAFF Screen International Rising Star Asia awardee.
▪ In Her Room: the North American Premiere of Chihiro Ito’s directorial debut, an intriguing erotic narrative featuring musician-actor Satoru Iguchi.
▪ December: Tokyo-based Indian director Anshul Chauhan’s riveting courtroom drama, starring actor Shogen.
▪ Mountain Woman: former New York City resident Takeshi Fukunaga will return with his third feature, a mythic tale of female oppression and liberation with Toko Miura (Drive My Car).
▪ A Hundred Flowers: the award-winning directorial debut by Genki Kawamura (superproducer of Monster, Your Name, Belle, and Rage).
▪ Motherhood: Ryūichi Hiroki’s tragic study of the maternal instinct in the form of a Rashomon-like procedural.
▪ #Manhole: a thrillingly dark genre gem by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (featured on the NYAFF 2023 poster).
▪ Mayhem Girls: Shinichi Fujita’s superheroine ode to the literal and figurative empowerment of young women.
Taiwan
NYAFF’s Taiwan lineup features some of the most striking and daring new films from the “beautiful island.” Highlights include:
▪ Bad Education: a controversially dark coming-of-age comedy-thriller marking the directorial debut of movie star Kai Ko.
▪ Marry My Dead Body: an LGBTQ+ action-comedy that foments a gender-fluid revolution with its premise of a macho cop who unwittingly marries a gay ghost.
▪ Gaga:a chronicle of a tangled web of drama across three generations of an Atayal tribe family by Taiwan’s first indigenous female director, Laha Mebow, who will be in attendance.
And More …
Philippines
▪ I Love You, Beksman: the fabulously campy tale of a “straight guy with a queer eye” who must overcome his gay family’s apprehensions when he meets the superfly girl of his dreams.
▪ Where Is the Lie?: based on a shocking real-life story, the film boasts out-of-the-box storytelling and an extraordinarily luminous performance by trans actor EJ Jallorina as the tragically lovelorn target of a sexy but vicious cyberbully.
▪ 12 Weeks: this timely drama chronicles a fiercely independent 40-year-old woman’s attempts to arrange a safe abortion in a devoutly anti-choice nation where it is illegal.
Singapore
▪ Geylang: a wild pop-art genre joyride seething with the tropically hot melting-pot flavors of the city-state put through a riotously macabre Moebius strip of neon-noir influences.
Thailand
▪ Kitty the Killer: an anarchic action-comedy about a team of top-notch female assassins who must transform a ridiculously goofy young man from zero to hero in order to wreak bloody vengeance on the agency that betrayed them.
▪ You & Me & Me: the directorial debut of real-life identical twin sisters, who weave a glorious teenage coming-of-age fever dream where two look-alike siblings fall for the same boy and must confront their true feelings as they experience the pangs of first love.
Vietnam
▪ Glorious Ashes: the first film in over a decade from cinematic poet Bui Thac Chuyên spins a poignant and dizzying tale of love, loneliness, and pyromania in a devastating omnibus-like tangle of interconnected romance gone wrong in yesteryear’s Mekong Delta.
Outdoor Screening
The festival, in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center New York and Film at Lincoln Center, will host a free outdoor screening at Damrosch Park on July 21. The feature is Bong Joon Ho’s renowned monster movie, The Host, which stars Song Kang-ho and Bae Doona and showcases Bong’s Oscar-winning family dynamics.
Stay Tuned!
A second wave of announcements will be made shortly, containing NYAFF’s Centerpiece and Closing films, the Uncaged Competition lineup and jury, special guests and award honorees, master classes and panels, and other exciting events. NYAFF is also thrilled to host the Opening Night Market on July 14 and the Monday Matsuri to Midnight on July 24, both with live music and Asian food stalls, as well as other parties and receptions.
From the deadly serious to the gleefully absurd, from the disquieting to the freaky, NYAFF continues to celebrate the most vibrant and provocative cinema out of Asia today.
