The New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center have announced two final titles, completing the lineup for the upcoming 20th edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). The festival will be screening over 70 films, both virtually and in person, to audiences in New York and across the country from August 6 – 22, 2021. Tickets are already on sale.
NYAFF is thrilled to present as its festival Centerpiece the international premiere of NYAFF favorite director Benny Chan's final work, RAGING FIRE. Completed shortly before his untimely death in August 2020, the Hong Kong-Chinese action film stars the inimitable Donnie Yen as Shan, a by-the-book cop whose past returns to haunt him. After a sting operation goes disastrously awry, Shan finds himself pitted against Ngo (Nicholas Tse), a former protégé who has turned criminal mastermind and is out for revenge. Nothing, it seems, can stop him, including his former mentor.
Chan, a NYAFF Centerpiece guest in 2011, also produced Raging Fire along with Yen (NYAFF's 2012 Star Asia Awardee), the superstar hero of a range of blockbusters, including Shanghai Knights, The Monkey King, Ip Man, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Chan's hard-boiled action swan song also reunites Tse (Shaolin Soccer, Beast Stalker, Bodyguards and Assassins) with his Shaolin director.
Raging Fire features a star studded cast that includes Qin Lan (The Last Supper), Ray Lui Leung-wai (Firestorm), Ben Lam (Flash Point) and Simon Yam (PTU, Election). The film also brings together an exciting collective of action directors; Huen Chiu Ku (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Kenji Tanigaki (Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, the Rurouni Kenshin franchise), and Chris Collins (Ip Man 4), as well as action choreographer Kang Yu (Chasing the Dragon, Special ID) to produce a never before seen action experience on the big screen.
NYAFF is also thrilled to announce that our Closing Film will be the North American premiere of Kim Ji-hoon's (The Tower, Sector 7) disaster comedy, SINKHOLE, direct from its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival. One of South Korea's most hotly anticipated summer tentpoles, the film focuses on a small group of people who must pull together and pool their strengths in a battle against time and gravity, 500 meters underground. Sinkhole runs the emotional gamut, from Korean-style satirical comedy to tense, action-packed survivalist drama.
Led by busy actors Cha Seung-won (Cheer Up, Mr. Lee; Night in Paradise) and Kim Sung-kyun (Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time, The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful), with beloved comic actor Lee Kwang-soo (Running Man, Busted!) and Kim Hye-jun (Kingdom) rounding out the ensemble cast, Sinkhole entertainingly highlights human tenacity in adverse circumstances, with spectacular, larger-than-life special effects and stunts that are both nail-biting and laughter-provoking.
As previously announced, NYAFF will be honoring a plethora of Asian stars for its 20th edition. Legendary filmmaker Ann Hui will be the recipient of the Variety Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award. Gordon Lam Ka Tung, one of today's most versatile and prolific actors in the Hong Kong cinema, will be honored with the Variety Star Asia Award.
A trio of gifted young actors from three different countries have been chosen to receive the Rising Star Asia Award: Bang Min-a from South Korea, Janine Gutierrez from the Philippines, and Sosuke Ikematsu from Japan. The Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema will be given to director Yoon Jae-Keun and producers Billy Acumen, Lee So-young and Kim Hyun-suk for their head-spinning Spiritwalker, in which an amnesiac with the crackerjack skills of a highly trained intelligence operative switches bodies every 12 hours.
NYAFF is also launching a new Asian American Focus section this year, with the goal of uplifting and empowering our Asian American communities by showcasing their diverse voices; as well as the new Emerging Voices Narrative Shorts Showcase, creating a space for young filmmakers to screen their work.
FULL LINEUP (75)
(The program is still subject to change.)
Titles in bold are newly announced titles in the lineup.
OPENING FILM
Escape from Mogadishu | dir. Ryoo Seung-wan, South Korea 2021 | International Premiere. In-person Only
CLOSING FILM
Sinkhole | dir. Kim Ji-hoon, South Korea 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
CENTERPIECE FILM
Raging Fire | dir. Benny Chan, Hong Kong, China 2021 | International Premiere. In-person Only
DANIEL A. CRAFT AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ACTION CINEMA SPECIAL SCREENING
– Spiritwalker | dir. Yoon Jae-Keun, South Korea 2021 | World Premiere of new version. In-person Only
– Ryuk-sa: A Teaser | dir: Cho Jin-woong, South Korea 2021 | TBC premiere. Short film. In-person Only.
SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY CLASSIC SCREENING IN DAMROSCH PARK
Dragon Inn AKA New Dragon Gate Inn | dir. Raymond Lee, Hong Kong 1992 | In-person Only
ANN HUI TRIBUTE SCREENING
-The Story of Woo Viet | dir. Ann Hui, Hong Kong 1981 | 40th anniversary tribute screening. In-person Only
– Boat People | dir. Ann Hui, Hong Kong 1982. In-person Only
UNCAGED AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM
The Uncaged competition section shines the spotlight on first- or second-time directors and celebrates their passion, their vision, and their willingness to take risks.
– Anima | dir. Cao Jinling, China 20201 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– City Of Lost Things | dir. Yee Chih-yen, Taiwan 2020 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– Hand Rolled Cigarette | dir. Chan Kin Long, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person & Virtual
– Joint | dir. Oudai Kojima, Japan 2021 | International Premiere. In-person & Virtual
– Ten Months | dir. Namkoong Sun, South Korea 2020 | International Premiere. In-person Only
– Tiong Bahru Social Club | dir. Tan Bee Thiam, Singapore 2020 | U.S. Premiere. In-person & Virtual
CROWD PLEASERS
Films with broad appeal and titles accessible to all tastes
– All U Need is Love | dir. Vincent Kok, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– Breakout Brothers | dir. Mak Ho Pong, Hong Kong 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– The Con-Heartist | dir. Mez Tharatorn, Thailand 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– From Today, It's My Turn!! | dir. Yuichi Fukuda, Japan 2020 | U.S. Premiere. Virtual Only
– Hold Me Back | dir. Akiko Ohku, Japan 2020 | U.S. Premiere. Virtual Only
– jigoku-no-hanazono: Office Royale | dir. Kazuaki Seki, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– My Missing Valentine | dir. Chen Yu-hsun, Taiwan 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
– One Second Champion | dir. Chiu Sin-hang, Hong Kong 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
– Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro | dir. Ken Ninomiya, Japan 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– Zero to Hero | dir. Jimmy Wan, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
GENRE MASTERS
Innovative new work that tweaks and twists genre conventions
– Coffin Homes | dir. Fruit Chan, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere
– The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill | dir. Kan Eguchi, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– Last of The Wolves | dir. Kazuya Shiraishi, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– Limbo | dir. Soi Cheang, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– Midnight | dir. Kwon Oh-seung, South Korea 2021 | International Premiere. Virtual Only
– The Prayer | dir. Min Kyu-dong, South Korea 2021 | International Premiere. Virtual Only
– Rising Shaolin: The Protector | dir. Stanley Tong, China, Hong Kong 2021 | International Premiere. Virtual Only
– Sweetie, You Won't Believe It | dir. Yernar Nurgaliyev, Kazakhstan 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
NEXT/NOW
Highlighting emerging voices and promising works by up-and-coming directors
– Here And There | dir. JP Habac, Philippines 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person & Virtual
– Keep Rolling | dir. Man Lim Chung, Hong Kong 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
– Money Has Four Legs | dir. Maung Sun, Myanmar 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– The Old Town Girls | dir. Shen Yu, China 2020 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– Shadows | dir. Glenn Chan, Hong Kong 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– Snowball | dir. Lee Woo-jung, South Korea 2021 | International premiere. In-person Only
– Time | dir. Ricky Ko, Hong Kong 2021 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only.
BEYOND BORDERS
Films that tell stories about characters confronting different cultures
– The Asian Angel | dir. Yuya Ishii, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– Fighter | dir. Jéro Yun, South Korea 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– A Song for You | dir. Dukar Tserang, China 2020 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
FRONTLINES
Films grounded in the lives of those in marginalized communities, with narratives that examine pressing issues
– Babi | dir. Namewee, Malaysia 2020 | North American Premiere. TBD
– A Balance | dir. Yujiro Harumoto, Japan 2020 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– I Don't Fire Myself | dir. Lee Tae-Gyeom, South Korea 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– Ninja Girl | dir. Yu Irie, Japan 2021 | World Premiere. In-person Only
– The Silent Forest | dir. Ko Chen-nien, Taiwan 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
– Three Sisters | dir. Lee Seung-won, South Korea 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– Tough Out | dir. Xu Hui-jing, China 2020 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
– The Way We Keep Dancing | dir. Adam Wong, Hong Kong 2020 | New York Premiere. Virtual Only
STANDOUTS
Exceptional films, regardless of their premiere status
– Blue | dir. Keisuke Yoshida, Japan 2021 | U.S. Premiere. Virtual Only
– The Book of Fish | dir. Lee Joon-ik, South Korea 2021 | International Premiere. In-person Only
– A Leg | dir. Chang Yaosheng, Taiwan 2020 | US Continental Premiere. In-person & Virtual
– Samjin Company English Class | dir. Lee Jong-pil, South Korea 2020 | New York Premiere. In-person & Virtual
– Under the Open Sky | dir. Miwa Nishikawa, Japan 2020 | New York Premiere. In-person Only
VANGUARDS
Original films that break away from formalistic and/or narrative conventions
– As We Like It | dir. Muni Wei, Chen Hung-i, Taiwan 2021 | East Coast Premiere. Virtual Only
– Barbarian Invasion | dir. Tan Chui Mui, Malaysia, China, 2021 | North American Premiere. In-person Only
– Junk Head | dir. Takahide Hori, Japan 2021 | U.S. Premiere. In-person Only
– Over the Town | dir. Rikiya Imaizumi, Japan 2020 | U.S. Premiere. Virtual Only
– Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me? | dir. Takahiro Horie, Japan 2021 | World Premiere. In-person Only
– Zokki | dir. Naoto Takenaka, Takayuki Yamada, Takumi Saitoh, Japan 2021 | North American Premiere. Virtual Only
ASIAN AMERICAN FOCUS
– Americanish | dir. Iman K. Zawahry, USA 2021 | In-person Only
– A Shot Through the Wall | dir. Aimee Long, USA 2021 | In-person Only
– Snakehead | dir. Evan Jackson Leong, USA 2021 | In-person Only
SHORTS SHOWCASE | In-person and Virtual
IRL (In Real Life)
– Piglet Piglet | dir. Tsung-Yen Lin, Taiwan 2021 | Virtual Only
– Just Another Day | dir. Prataya Saha, India 2021 | Virtual Only
– 1056 Metres | dir. Edwin Ho, Singapore 2020 | In-person & Virtual
– Mother Tongue | dir. Eris Qian, USA 2020 | Virtual Only
– Chimera (키메라) | dir. Eileen Yoon, South Korea/USA 2020 | Virtual Only
Missed Connections
– Winter by the River | dir. Shuyao Chen, China 2020 | Virtual Only
– In the Dusk | dir. Zhoulan, China 2020 | Virtual Only
– Invited In | dir. Yuyu Kitamura, Hong Kong 2021 | In-person & Virtual
– Journey to the East | dir. Eve Liu, USA 2020 | Virtual Only
– ufo:pm | dir. Xiao Han, China/USA 2020 | Virtual Only
Special Showing
– Kite | dir. YuanYuan Lu, USA 2021 | In-person Only
