(above) Still from “They Say Nothing Stays The Same,”Joe Oagiri, 2019, Japan
The 19th edition of the Lincoln Center's New York Asian Film Festival will be virtual this year, and will go from August 28 to September 12, 2020. This year's focus is on women filmmakers, under the title “Women Transforming Film.” In this year's line-up, NYAFF spotlights titles directed and led by women — including “Heavy Craving” (Hsieh Pei-ju, 2019, Taiwan), “Lucky Chan-sil” (Kim Cho-hee, 2019, S. Korea), “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982,” (Kim Do-young, 2019, S. Korea), “My Prince Edward” (Norris Wong, 2019, Hong Kong), and “Victim(s)” (Layla Zhuqing Ji, 2020, Malaysia).
A generous share of the program is devoted to new filmmakers, including striking directorial debuts and sophomore efforts. This edition reflects today's particularly kinetic innovations, much informed by social media and the hyper information highway. An impressive cross-section of work highlights new ideas in storytelling and tackles social mores and personal demons, including “John Denver Trending” (Arden Rod Condez, 2019, Philippines), “Beauty Water” (Cho Kyung-hun, 2020, S. Korea), “Detention” (John Hsu, 2019, Taiwan), and “IWeirDo” (Liao Ming-yi, 2020, Taiwan), to name a few. Work by first and second-time directors are featured in this year's “Uncaged” Competition Section.
The opening film will be the North American premiere of “The Girl and the Gun (Babae at Baril),” directed by Philippines' Rae Red. The film features Janine Gutierrez, and is produced by Iana Celest Bernadez (in her first-time producing role) and Bianca Balbuena. Rae Red's sophomore feature and first solo directorial effort features a local department store saleslady who finds a gun right on her doorstep one night and decides that she has had enough of being the underdog. Her life drastically changes as she discovers how much power owning a gun can give.
In regional terms, South Korea is front and center in this year's selection. Faithful to tradition, the Festival presents a balance of arthouse and genre titles with an emphasis on outstanding storytelling and accessibility. As the boundaries between what is strictly film and TV blur, NYAFF has found, in its tireless search for exciting, new content, an extraordinary example of the convergence of both formats in SF8, a series of eight stand-alone 52-minute science fiction films that will make their International Premiere at this first virtual edition. Each film is directed by prominent Korean filmmakers, and the knowledgeable viewer will recognize the names of Min Kyu-dong, Jang cheol-su, Noh Deok. The series, first shown on Korea's version of Netflix, Wavve, has been praised locally and has drawn comparisons with “Black Mirror.”
The Hong Kong Panorama, the point of origin of the Festival, has a specific emphasis on Cantonese-language stories and the new generation of filmmakers at a turning point in the history of the Special Administrative Region.The selection features the following: the World Premiere of “Hell Bank Presents: Running Ghost,” the North American premieres of “Memories to Choke on, Drinks to Wash Them Down”; “The Grand Grandmaster”, “Legally Declared Dead”, “Unleashed”, the East Coast premiere of the previously mentioned “My Prince Edward” and “Witness Out of the Blue”, one of the few and best representatives of a genre that put Hong Kong cinema on the map: the crime thriller. Keeping continuity with the festival's roots, this year's edition also features “Chasing Dream” (2019), the latest by Johnnie To, Hong Kong cinema's l'enfant terrible turned patron saint. NYAFF is notable as the first festival and institution to bring the wild cinematic stylings of To and his team to the US with the groundbreaking series, “Expect the Unexpected: Contemporary Urban Cinema from Milkyway Image Productions” back in 2000.
One of Japan's best-known actors, Odagiri Joe, makes a feature debut behind-the-camera in NYAFF's centerpiece film, “They Say Nothing Stays the Same” (2019). In this star-studded cast and crew with cinematographer Christopher Doyle, veteran actor Emoto Akira leads a star cast including Nagase Masatoshi, Asano Tadanobu and Aoi Yu. The film includes a rare appearance by musician Hosono Haruomi, Oscar-winning costume designer Wada Emi, and a fabulous score courtesy of Armenian jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan.
“Since the very first day of our launch, our goal is to always promote and screen the latest quality Asian films to international audiences. So it is our great pleasure to work with NYAFF, one of the most prominent Asian film festivals in the world, for their 19th edition, following our successful partnerships with Shanghai International Film Festival and Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. As a technology and data driven platform, we have created a unique, cutting-edge, virtual “Almighty Cinema” ecosystem to accommodate all the various demands from international festivals, distributors as well as traditional exhibitors.” said Jack Gao, founding partner and CEO of Smart Cinema.
“We are honored that NYAFF selected Smart Cinema USA to be their partner as they continue to showcase the best films from all over Asia during this global pandemic. Smart Cinema has become the premiere virtual cinema destination for movies in Asia and we are committed to replicating that success in North America.” said Doris Pfardrescher, President & CEO of Well Go USA and Board Member, Smart Cinema USA.
“At a time when the work of festivals might seem like a rearguard battle, I'm glad to take a leap into the unknown, and search east, not only for the films, but for new ways of exhibiting those films“, said Samuel Jamier, executive director and president of the New York Asian Film Festival & Foundation.
FULL LINEUP (51 films) as of 8/10 (program still subject to change)
Titles in bold are included in the “Uncaged” Competition.
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BHUTAN
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Pawo Choyning Dorji, 2019) New York Premiere
CHINA
Gone With the Light (Dong Runnian, 2019) North American Premiere
Chaogtu with Sarula (Wang Rui, 2019) North American Premiere
Mr. Miao (Li Lingxiao, 2020) International Premiere
HONG KONG PANORAMA
Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York
Chasing Dream (Johnnie To, 2019) New York Premiere
My Prince Edward (Norris Wong, 2019) East Coast Premiere
Hell Bank Presents: Running Ghost (Mark Lee, 2020) World Premiere
The Grand Grandmaster (Dayo Wong, 2020) North American Premiere
Legally Declared Dead (Yuen Kim Wai, 2019) U.S. Premiere
Memories to Choke on, Drinks to Wash Them Down (Leung Ming-kai, Kate Reilly, 2019) North American Premiere
Unleashed (Ka Hei Kwok and Ambrose Kwok, 2019) North American Premiere
A Witness out of the Blue 犯罪現場 (Fung Chih Chiang, 2019) New York Premiere
INDONESIA
Abracadabra (Faozan Rizal, 2019 ) North American Premiere
JAPAN
Family Bond (Gonno Hajime, 2019) North American Premiere
A Beloved Wife (Adachi Shin, 2019) North American Premiere
Miyamoto (Mariko Tetsuya, 2019) New York Premiere
Dancing Mary (Sabu, 2019) North American Premiere
Forgiven Children (Naito Eisuke, 2019) International Premiere
One Night (Shiraishi Kazuya, 2020) North American Premiere
Beneath the Shadow (Otomo Keishi, 2019) North American Premiere
They Say Nothing Stays the Same (Odagiri Joe, 2019) U.S. Premiere
KAZAKHSTAN
Tomiris (Akan Satayev, 2019) North American Premiere
MALAYSIA
Geran (Areel Abu Bakar, 2019) North American Premiere
Soul (Roh) (Emir Ezwan, 2020) North American Premiere
Victim(s) (Layla Zhuqing Ji, 2020) North American Premiere
PHILIPPINES
The Girl and the Gun (Rae Red, 2019) North American Premiere
John Denver Trending (Arden Rod Condez, 2019) East Coast Premiere
SOUTH KOREA
Presented with the support of the Korean Cultural Center New York
Secret Zoo (Son Jae-gon, 2019) New York Premiere.
Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Hitman: Agent Jun (Choi Won-sub, 2020) North American Premiere
Forbidden Dream (Hur Jin-ho, 2019) International Premiere
Lucky Chan-sil (Kim Cho-hee, 2019) North American Premiere.
Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Baseball Girl (Choi Yuntae, 2019) International Premiere
Beasts Clawing at Straws (Kim Yong-hoon, 2019) n/a.
Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Beauty Water (Cho Kyung-hun, 2020) U.S. Premiere
Moving on (Yoon Dan-bi, 2019) North American Premiere
Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (Kim Do-young, 2019) US Continental Premiere
SF8 Series: An anthology of eight science fiction films:
The Prayer (Min Kyu-dong, 2020) International Premiere
Empty Body (Kim Ui-seok, 2020) International Premiere
Love Virtually (Oh Ki-hwan, 2020) International Premiere
White Crow (Jang Cheol-s, 2020) International Premiere
Blink (Han Ga-ram, 2020) International Premiere
Baby It's Over Outside (Ahn Gooc-jin, 2020) International Premiere
Joan's Galaxy (Lee Yoon-jung, 2020) International Premiere.
Manxin (Noh Deok, 2020) International Premiere
TAIWAN
Wild Sparrow (Shih Li, 2019) New York Premiere. Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Detention (John Hsu, 2019) New York Premiere
IWeirDO (Liao Ming-yi, 2020) US Premiere. Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Heavy Craving (Hsieh Pei-ju, 2019) East Coast Premiere
The Gangs, the Oscars and the Walking Dead (Kao Pin-chuan, 2019) US Premiere. Co-Presented with the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Dear Loneliness (Lien Chien-hung, Sunny Yu, Liao Jhe-yi, 2019) North American Premiere
Miss Andy (Teddy Chin, 2020) North American Premiere
