The Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA), founded by the Hong Kong, Busan and Tokyo International Film Festivals, promotes Asian cinema and fosters cross-cultural exchange. Through the annual Asian Film Awards, it celebrates excellence and the diversity of Asian filmmaking.
This year, AFAA presents three programmes — Masterclass Series, Asian Cinerama, and In Conversation with Filmmakers — offering creative insights, curated screenings, and dialogue that bring audiences closer to the voices and visions shaping Asian cinema today.
Three masterclasses. Three creative paths. From indie film to global streaming, they have reshaped contemporary Asian cinema. Join us at the 19th Asian Film Awards for a rare look behind their work.
Many know HWANG through Squid Game. But long before it became a global phenomenon, he had built his voice as a filmmaker. From Silenced, which sparked national debate, to the box-office hit Miss Granny, he moved across genres while confronting social realities. Squid Game was not an overnight success, but the result of years of persistence. What changes when a director enters the streaming era? In this masterclass, HWANG shares behind-the-scenes insights from his journey — from socially driven cinema to global storytelling. Why does he keep returning to reality and human nature? And how does he stay true to his creative core across shifting platforms and markets?
Not everyone may know JIA. Yet internationally, he is a renowned filmmaker. Born in a small town in Shanxi, far from the film industry, he began filming to record the changes around him and to write his time through images. From his first feature, his films have been selected by major international film festivals. There are no heroes or dramatic climaxes—only ordinary lives in motion: the drifting youth of Platform, the reshaped town in Still Life, the figures searching for their place in Ash Is Purest White. Set in China, these stories reach beyond it. In this masterclass, JIA will speak about starting from the everyday, observing the world, and responding to change.
From the luminous girl in The Road Home, to the fierce presence in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, to the restrained gaze in The Grandmaster — which image stays with you? ZHANG’s journey is not only the growth of an actress, but the story of a Chinese female artist claiming her place on the global stage. As she entered larger arenas, she faced new languages, rhythms, and expectations — even assumptions about who she should be. She did not conform. She defined herself through her performances. In this masterclass, she reflects on her craft — how she prepares for roles, handles pressure, and works across cultures while remaining true to herself.
BRAVO
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2026 ASIAN FILM AWARDS
本年度「亞洲電影巡迴放映」以「Us, in Cinema」 為題，從黑色幽默、情感書寫、新銳視角與時代 選映四個方向出發，呈現亞洲電影的多元聲音。
Asian Cinerama, themed “Us, in Cinema,” unfolds across four strands — Black Comedy, Emotional Landscapes, Emerging Perspectives, and Across the Eras — highlighting the range of Asian cinema today. From absurdity to intimacy, new voices to restored classics, the programme invites audiences to share cinematic moments that belong to us all.
Figure skater JIANG struggles to salvage the final chance of her career under the ruthless eye of her mother and coach, WANG. But everything changes when ZHONG, a prodigiously gifted and freespirited talent, becomes the coach’s new focus. As tension builds, JIANG’s hostility and fascination spiral into a dark and destructive obsession. In his Cannes Directors' Fortnight-selected debut, director ZHOU Jinghao dissects the lives of modern youth through the brutal skating world. Under extreme competition, can only one survive?
BC
17.03 TUE ( 二 ) 7:15pm
設映後談
With Post-screening Talk
周璟豪 ZHOU Jinghao
王洋 WANG Yang
左撇子女孩 Left-Handed Girl
台灣 Taiwan 2025 / 109 min
導演 Director
鄒時擎 TSOU Shih-Ching
演員 Cast
蔡淑臻 Janel TSAI
馬士媛 MA Shih-Yuan
葉子綺 Nina YE
黃鐙輝 Brando HUANG
語言 Language
國語、台語對白，
中英文字幕
In Mandarin and Taiwanese with Chinese and English subtitles
In her remarkable solo directorial debut, TSOU Shih-Ching crafts an intimate portrait of three generations wrestling with tradition and change in modern Taipei. After moving from the countryside, single mother Shu-Fen and her daughters– rebellious twenty-year-old I-Ann and curious five-year-old I-Jing – struggle to make ends meet running a night market noodle stall. When I-Jing's grandfather condemns her left-handedness as demonic, family secrets begin to surface. Cowritten and produced by Sean BAKER, this tender exploration of family bonds and quiet rebellion pulses with the vibrant energy of Taipei's neon-lit streets.
15.03 SUN ( 日 ) 7:00pm
設映後談
With Post-screening Talk
鄒時擎 TSOU Shih-Ching
逆時光戀人
Sore: A Wife from the Future
香港首映
Hong Kong Premiere
印尼 Indonesia 2025 / 119 min
導演 Director
Yandy LAURENS
演員 Cast
Sheila Dara AISHA
Dion WIYOKO
Goran BOGDAN
Lara NEKIĆ
語言 Language
印尼語、英語、 克羅地亞語對白，英文字幕
In Indonesian, English, and Croatian with English subtitles
In Croatia, a struggling Indonesian photographer meets Sore, a woman claiming to be his future wife. Her mission is to transform Jonathan’s life before it’s too late. But when Sore reveals the secrets of the future, she begins to bleed and dies, only for time to reset. Will her attempts be enough to rewrite their future, or will time always win? Expanded from a hit web series, this sci-fi romance reflects on love and the price of change. A domestic box office hit and winner of four Citra Awards, it offers a poignant, unconventional take on the timeloop trope.
Saigon, 1985. Khang, a young translator rising through the ranks of Vietnam’s new regime, is tasked with translating The Little Prince. His life is set. But everything changes when he meets Ky Nam, the reserved widow who runs a small restaurant next door. This chance encounter sparks a subtle bond. Shot on lush 35mm film, director Leon LE depicts a forbidden love amidst the collective scars of a changing society. Like an untranslatable sentence, their feelings flow through the cracks of tradition and reform - a powerful desire in a world where not every connection is allowed to last.
Every time Ha-min eats food prepared by his mother, an inexplicable number appears before his eyes. With each meal, the number decreases by one; when it reaches zero, his mother will die. Ha-min’s ordinary life is turned upside down as he begins avoiding homecooked meals, making up every excuse to stay away from the dinner table. Talented actor CHOI Woo-shik reunites with director KIM Taeyong after Set Me Free, alongside his Parasite co-star JANG Hye-jin. Together, the duo reprises their mother-son chemistry to serve up a comforting tale that warms both the heart and the stomach.
設映後談
金泰泳 KIM Tae-yong PE
With Post-screening Talk
A MULTIVERSE OF BLACK COMEDY
Black Rabbit, White Rabbit
香港首映
Hong Kong Premiere
塔吉克 Tajikistan 2025 / 139 min
導演 Director
Shahram MOKRI
演員 Cast
Babak KARIMI
Hasti MOHAMMAI
Kibriyo DILYOBOVA
Bezhan DAVLYATOV
語言 Language
塔吉克語、波斯語及 俄羅斯語對白 , 英語字幕
In Tajiki, Persian and Russian with English subtitles
In Tajikistan, while an Iranian director remakes a classic, the armorer grows paranoid upon discovering their gun is not a prop. Simultaneously, a young woman crashes the set for an audition, while elsewhere, Sara uncovers a conspiracy behind her car crash. These seemingly unrelated stories intertwine into a surreal mystery, blurring reality and dreams. With sophisticated extreme long takes, the film explores the nature of cinema: if every "Chekhov’s Gun" points toward a final suspense, will it ultimately fire?
After the leader’s death, successors Soon-tae and Kang-pyo show zero interest in power. Soon-tae dreams of franchise offers for his restaurant Mimi Lu, while Kang-pyo aspires to be a tango dancer. As the clan panics, only the impulsive Pan-ho is scheming to become the boss. A hilarious competition begins where everyone tries to lose in the boss election. Adapted from Once a Gangster, this film parodies triad stereotypes and subverts traditional gangland ambition. In this absurd era, who would actually want to be the boss?
設映後談
With Post-screening Talk
趙宇鎮 JO Woo-jin
鄭敬淏 JUNG Kyung-ho
人生海海
The Waves Will Carry Us
香港首映
Hong Kong Premiere
台灣 Taiwan 2025 / 100 min
導演 Director
廖克發 LAU Kek-Huat
演員 Cast
陳雪甄 Vera CHEN
魏雋展 WEI Chun-Chan
呂楊 Fabian LOO
語言 Language
國語、馬來語、粵語對白， 中英文字幕
In Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles
When Ah Yao returns to Malaysia for his father’s funeral, he expects grief, not chaos. But everything turns upside down when the religious police storm in, claiming his father must be buried in an Islamic cemetery. Refusing to let go, Ah Yao and his siblings set out on a wild, darkly comedic journey to reclaim the body, confronting cultural clashes and family secrets along the way. Following his Golden Horse win for the documentary From Island to Island, LAU Kek-huat returns with a narrative feature exploring the history of Malaysian Chinese, featuring an award-winning performance by Vera CHEN.
設映後談
With Post-screening Talk
廖克發 LAU Kek-Huat
ACROSS THE ERA
不散 Goodbye, Dragon Inn
台灣 Taiwan
2003 / 82 min
導演 Director
蔡明亮 TSAI Ming Liang
演員 Cast
李康生 LEE Kang-Sheng
陳湘琪 CHEN Shiang-Chyi
三田村恭伸 MITAMURA Kiyonobu
苗天 MIAO Tien
石雋 SHIH Chun
語言 Language
國語、台語對白，英文字幕 In Mandarin and Taiwanese with English subtitles
On a night of pouring rain in Taipei, the Fu-Ho Grand Theatre shuts its doors forever. As Dragon Inn glows on the gigantic screen, a young Japanese man seeks refuge. The swordsmen from the screen, now older, sit in the dark reminiscing and mourning. A crippled ticket clerk limps through labyrinth-like passageways, her footsteps echoing. The space appears void of life, yet other presences linger. Through static long takes, TSAI Ming Liang gazes at the disappearance of cinema, paying tribute to a bygone era.
Set in 1940s Shanghai under Japanese occupation, the film follows Zhan Zhou, accused of dismembering her husband — a crime she could not have committed alone. As the trial unfolds, her fate mirrors a nation in turmoil.
In 1636, during the Qing invasion of Joseon, King Injo and his court retreat to a mountain fortress, trapped in the cold and surrounded. Over 47 harrowing days, ministers clash over survival or honour. Adapted from a bestselling novel and underscored by SAKAMOTO Ryuichi’s haunting score, the film captures a kingdom at a bleak turning point.
設映後談
With Post-screening Talk
黃東赫 HWANG Dong-hyuk
金智妍 KIM Ji-yeon
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In Conversation brings filmmakers face to face with audiences, opening a cross-border dialogue. Voices from across the filmmaking process come together to reveal the craft, choices, and dedication behind every film.
A rare, cross-cultural conversation on the art of editing, two internationally acclaimed editors of Chinese-language cinema come together for the first time — David RICHARDSON, chief editor of Milkyway Image, and Matthieu LACLAU, France-born, Asia-based editor. David’s precise, razor-sharp pacing has shaped Hong Kong classics such as Breaking News, Drug War, and Trivisa, earning multiple Golden Horse and Asian Film Awards. Matthieu, a longtime collaborator of JIA Zhangke and Golden Horse winner for A Touch of Sin, is celebrated for his layered storytelling and documentary-inflected realism, with numerous Cannes selections. How do these two foreign editors navigate the landscape of Chinese-language cinema? How does editing become the narrative and emotional core of a film?
New York has become an important creative hub for a new generation of Asian filmmakers. This conversation brings together two Asia-born directors working in the United States-Taiwanese director TSOU Shih-Ching, whose Left-Handed Girl reached the Oscar Best International Feature shortlist top 15 and who is a long-time collaborator of Sean BAKER, and Vietnamese director Leon LE of Ky Nam Inn. They will discuss their creative approaches, cross-cultural challenges, and how they balance authentic local detail with universal emotion, offering insight into the global reach of Asia’s new cinematic voices.
Hong Kong actor Power CHAN hosts a deep conversation with Korean actor JO Woo-jin, exploring how performance bridges cultures and generations in Asian cinema. From iconic historical roles like LI Si in Back to the Past to his recent freelance projects, CHAN demonstrates the resilience and balance of an actor’s craft. JO Woo-jin showcases the power of versatile performances, proving that whether in crime, comedy, or complex human drama, actors can create moments that truly move audiences. This candid dialogue offers insight into their creative process, behind-the-scenes stories from Hong Kong and South Korea, and their enduring passion and dedication to the art of acting.
For an actor, cinema is an ongoing search for identity — a continual reflection on the question, “Who am I?” Between light and shadow, how can women artists move beyond the labels placed upon them and shape their own space? From modelling and music to the world of film, 9m88 and Angela YUEN have each crossed disciplines, exploring new roles both on and off screen. Bringing the confidence of the runway and the rhythm of the stage into their performances, they speak about the realities of transition — the doubts, the risks and the breakthroughs, and reflect on how women in Asian cinema are creating wider space for themselves today.
1. 百老匯贈券及貴賓券不適用於本節目之場次，優惠受條款及細則約束。如有任何爭議，亞洲電影大獎學院及百老匯 電影中心保留最終決定權。Broadway Circuit Complimentary Ticket and Broadway Coupon are not applicable to the screenings of this programme. Terms and conditions apply. In case of any dispute, the decision of Asian Film Awards Academy and Broadway Cinematheque shall be final.
2. 節目如有更改，恕不另行通知。All programmes are subject to change without prior notice.
3. 本宣傳刊物出版時，是次節目之電影尚未獲電影、報刊及物品管理辦事處評列等級，如有電影被列為三級者， 主辦單位將於戲院及售票網站 www.cinema.com.hk 上公布。The categories of films in the programme are not yet rated by the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration at the time this booklet goes to print. If any film is classified as Category IlI, notice will be posted in cinemas and www.cinema.com.hk.
4. 所有最終之節目安排及詳情以亞洲電影大獎學院及百老匯電影中心社交平台公布為準。Please refer to the Asian Film Awards Academy and Broadway Cinematheque social media pages for most up-to-date programme information.
First-Round Tickets go on sale from 27 February 12:00 via art-mate online ticketing platform. *art-mate 網上購票平台需收取支付按金手續費。Service fee will be charged by the art-mate online ticketing platform. ** 每位報名觀眾需支付港幣 $100 按金預留名額，按金將於活動後 6 至 8 星期內全數退回報名時使用的扣帳户口 ( 退款到帳時間因為 銀行有所不同 )。未能出席者，按金將不獲退回，敬請留意。Each seat is required to pay HKD 100 deposit to reserve their spot. The deposit will be fully refunded to the same account used for registration within 6 to 8 weeks after the event (the refund processing time may vary depending on the bank). Non-attendance will result in forfeiture of the deposit.
請即購票 Get Tickets
票務及節目查詢 Ticketing and Programme Enquiries art-mate 網上購票平台：info@art-mate.net 亞洲電影大獎學院：info@afa-academy.com / 31950602
詳細條款細則請見 art-mate 網上購票平台及亞洲電影大獎學院官方網站。For detailed terms and conditions, please visit the art-mate online ticketing platform and the Asian Film Awards Academy official website.
