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Review

The Movies of Amy Yip

Undoubtedly enthusiastic guide to a cult Hong Kong actress, but let down by messy execution and unfortunate leery tone…

Review

Wol-Ha: Very Bad Moon Rising

A surprisingly effective found footage film by one of South Korea’s rising film directors…

Review

Death Note: Light Up The New World

This new instalment fails to the deliver anything near the original – not for lack of trying, but for lack of time and character development…

Review

Mirai

Engaging fantasy about family and siblings…

Review

Ash is Purest White

Bitter and sweet look at two lives unfulfilled…

Review
Green Fish

Fire, grit and powerful visuals fuel one of the first Korean Noir films…
Review
Shoplifters

Warm and empathetic look at a family surviving on the fringes of society…
Review
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings

The third instalment in Hark’s CGI-heavy blockbuster series is a surprisingly fun romp. With added giant albino gorilla…
Review
Mind Cage

An interesting psychological thriller that eschews supernatural tropes, but falls just short of the mark…
Review
The Bride With White Hair

A watershed 90s Hong Kong movie, one of the most visually striking of its kind…
Review
The Tailor

Vietnamese fashion comes under the spotlight in this costume drama about time travelling gone awry…

COMING SOON...

Review: Burning
Review: Silent Mist
Review: The Angry River

Latest news

All the latest news from Asian cinema...

News
Asian Pop-Up Cinema returns for its 7th Season in Chicago

Chicago’s only pan-Asian film series to make its return on September with a 17-movies-long programme
News
‘A Land Imagined’ first Singapore film to win Locarno Festival top prize

Yeo Siew Hua’s film Wins the Golden Leopard At 71st Locarno Festival…
News
China’s Top Online Streaming Platforms and Production Companies to Cap Actors’ Pay

Major Chinese companies are taking action to crack down on tax evasion and actors’ sky-high pay…
News
Horror spectacular GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM screening coming to London

South Korea’s 2nd biggest horror movie comes to London in August with a special screening from the LKFF
News
Jackie Chan’s PROJECT A & PROJECT A PART II released for the...

2K restoration of Chan’s classics on 2-disc Special Limited Edition is coming out on 22nd October…
News
Ten Years and Trivisa director Jevons Au’s new film banned in China...

Hong Kong media is reporting that Au’s new film Distinction did not get approved by Chinese sensors…

2018 New Zealand International Film Festival

Now in its 50th year, NZIFF has put together a programme that is eclectic and colourful, including some of the hottest Asian films on the festival circuit…

Review
Mirai

Engaging fantasy about family and siblings…
Review
Ash is Purest White

Bitter and sweet look at two lives unfulfilled…
Review
Shoplifters

Warm and empathetic look at a family surviving on the fringes of society…
News
A Guide to the Asian Films at the 2018 New Zealand International...

We take a look at the Asian films screening at this year’s NZIFF…
Review
An Elephant Sitting Still

A four-hour odyssey, director Hu Bo’s first and last film is a philosophical triumph…
Review
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

An intimate portrait of one of the great musical legends…

22nd Fantasia International Film Festival

North America’s largest genre festival returns with over 130 films from across the globe, including 69 from Asia…

Review
Wilderness Part One and Two

Masaki Suda and Yang Ik-june amaze in this awe-inspiring two-part boxing epic…
Review
One Cut of the Dead

A refreshing new ‘take’ on the zombie film which combines horror and comedy in equal measure…
Review
Da Hu Fa

Once Upon a Time in Peanut Town…
Review
River’s Edge

Successfully evoking the complexity of adolescence in a crude, unflattering and straightforward way…
Review
Microhabitat

A young Seoul-ite engages in some forcible downsizing as prices for all her basic luxuries rise…
Review
Tremble All You Want

An intelligent romantic comedy with a ‘twisted’ central character…
Review
Satan’s Slaves

Tales from the Muslim graveyard…
Interview
Akiko Ooku interview: “I’m trying to give these people a push to...

We talk to the director of Tremble All You Want…
Review
One Cut of the Dead

A low budget Japanese comedy horror that’s bloody good farcical fun…
Review
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

Does South Korea have a found-footage film that gives The Blair Witch Project ample competition?…

Japan Cuts 2018

Celebrating this year its 12th edition, Japan Cuts will screen 28 feature-length films and 9 shorts, with titles spacing from blockbusters to independent productions and new restorations…

Review
Outrage Coda

Kitano’s yakuza trilogy’s final chapter gets elegantly chaotic…
Review
Tremble All You Want

A truly heart-warming experience full of honest and heartfelt emotions…
Review
Abnormal Family: Older Brother’s Bride

A fairly tame pinku, but an interesting glimpse into the future for director Masayuki Suo…
Review
Blank 13

A family drama turned comedy explores a tormented father-son relationship…
News
Japan Society reveals the full line-up for its upcoming JAPAN CUTS Film...

New York’s annual highlight for Japanese cinema to screen over 30 titles for its 12^th edition
Review
Tremble All You Want

An intelligent romantic comedy with a ‘twisted’ central character…
Interview
Akiko Ooku interview: “I’m trying to give these people a push to...

We talk to the director of Tremble All You Want…
Review
Tourism

Two friends travel to Singapore and explore the delights of tourism after a big lottery win…
Interview
Masaaki Yuasa interview: “I thought great, I don’t have to stop watching...

We chat to the popular animation director about The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl and Lu Over the Wall…
Interview
Daisuke Miyazaki interview: “I felt I need to film my hometown before...

The director of Yamato (California) sits down with us to talk cultural identity, communication failures, history and more…

17th New York Asian Film Festival

The NYAFF returns for the 17th time, featuring four world premieres, three international premieres in the rich programme showcasing up to 60 titles from all around East Asia…

Interview
Crossroads One Two Jaga interview: Nam Ron and Ario Bayu

We talk to the director and star of the Malaysian thriller…
Interview
Wrath of Silence Interview: Xi Yukun and Jiang Wu

We chat to the director and star about the impressive thriller…
Interview
Dong Yue interview: “Although he treats himself as a hero, the reality...

We talk to the director about his debut The Looming Storm…
Review
BuyBust

One squad. One notorious criminal. One mission gone terribly wrong. One film that will leave you completely breathless…
Review
River’s Edge

Successfully evoking the complexity of adolescence in a crude, unflattering and straightforward way…
Interview
1987: When the Day Comes interview: Kim Yoon-seok and Jang Joon-hwan

We talk to the star and director of the political drama based on true events…
Interview
Stephy Tang interview: “I was boxing 2-3 times a week, training my...

We talk to the Hong Kong actress about her role in Chapman To’s The Empty Hands…
Review
Respeto

Boyz n the Slums… of the Philippines…
Review
Sad Beauty

The beauty and the drama…
Interview
Harata Masado interview: “Sekigahara, I have been dreaming about making it for...

The director talks about his work…

20th Far East Film Festival 2018

Udine’s Far East Film Festival celebrates its 20th edition with European and World premieres, events and superstar visits including Brigitte Lin…

Review
The Tailor

Vietnamese fashion comes under the spotlight in this costume drama about time travelling gone awry…
Review
Love Education

The love philosophies of three generations of Chinese women come to a head in Sylvia Chang’s latest…
Review
Sad Beauty

The beauty and the drama…
Review
Little Forest

A feel-good foodie flick about the simple pleasures in life…
Review
The Scythian Lamb

A weird dark comedy mixing different genres while tackling rural depopulation in an unusual fashion…
Review
The Portrait

Drama and nostalgia dominate the scene in front of the portrait of the artist as Filipino…
Interview
Akihiro Toda interview: “I really liked mixing these unknown characters together to...

We talk to the director of The Name…
Review
Tremble All You Want

An intelligent romantic comedy with a ‘twisted’ central character…
Review
The Tailor

Ao dai designs and multiple modernities…
Interview
Moon So-ri interview: “I wasn’t relaxed enough for us to improvise!”

We talk to the Korean actress about her feature film debut…

Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia: A True Celluloid Icon

We celebrate the career of perhaps the most iconic actress of the 80s and 90s, ahead of a special strand as part of HKIFF and an appearance at Udine Far East Film Festival…

Review
The Bride With White Hair

A watershed 90s Hong Kong movie, one of the most visually striking of its kind…
Feature
Brigitte Lin: stardom, queering gender and iconicity

Colette Balmain discusses one of Hong Kong’s most enduring icons through her most famousnon-conforming gender roles…
Review
The Bride With White Hair

Love and loss on a battlefield…
Review
The Peach Blossom Land

Two theatre troupes at loggerheads when they are forced to share the same rehearsal space…
Review
Outside The Window

An engaging story of teacher-student romance made special by the mesmerising performance of a young Brigitte Lin…
Feature
Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia – A True Celluloid Icon

We celebrate the career of the 80s and 90s most iconic HK actress, the subject of a Filmmaker in Focus strand at this years HKIFF…
News
Brigitte Lin to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 20th Udine FEFF

The Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented at the 20th FEFF
News
HKIFF to showcase 14 classic Brigitte Lin films

Including Outside the Window and Ashes of Time, these classic films feature Brigitte Lin’s unforgettable performance…
Review
Operation Condor

Jackie Chan on fine form as adventuring treasure hunter, erm, Jackie, on his way to uncover lost Nazi gold…
Review
The Eagle Shooting Heroes

Shot back-to-back with Ashes Of Time and sharing much of the same cast, the stars get to let their hair down in a very different take on the same Louis Cha novel…

Fresh Wave Wednesdays

Our weekly celebration of work from the Fresh Wave Short Film Competition that supports up and coming young talent.

Review
Fresh Wave 2018: No Sleep Club

Can a cure for insomnia be the heart of a comedy? Wong Yee Mai’s short film says yes…
Review
Fresh Wave 2018: Jellyfish

A jellyfish, a dog and a cold sniper call for blood in Che Chun Hei’s short film…
Review
Fresh Wave 2018: Bright Spring Days

A bitter and tender embrace reunites a mother and her son in Yeh Ka-lun’s short film…
Review
Fresh Wave 2017: Affection

This excellent short film explores the fumbling, first forays into romance of Hong Kong high school students…
Review
Fresh Wave 2017: Hello

A quiet and slow reflection on unlikely friendship and the struggles of the homeless…
Interview
Wong Chun interview: “I’m the director and she writes – simply because...

We chat to the director of multiple award-winning Mad World…
Review
Fresh Wave 2017: Liu Yang He

An illuminating glimpse into the lives of sex workers in Hong Kong’s one room brothels…
Review
Fresh Wave 2017: Piled Cloud

A lone, old man and ambitious young student bond despite their age, outlook and life choices…
Review
Fresh Wave 2017: Bible of Kong Girls

Three quirky women battle life and its challenges using the bible of a powerful secretary…
Review
Fresh Wave 2014: The Glass City

Wong Hin Lik uses haunting imagery to ruminate on lost love…

Top Asian Films of 2017

The easternKicks team has voted for our favourite films of the year once again. Will your favourites be in there, and if so, what position will they make? All will be revealed…

Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 1. Mad World

Here it is, the easternKicks FILM OF THE YEAR… coming in at #1 on our Top 10 Films of 2017 is MAD WORLD
Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 2. Bad Genius

In the penultimate slot of the easternKicks Top 10 Films For 2017, BAD GENIUS is #2…
Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 3. Close Knit

CLOSE KNIT comes in at #3 on the easternKicks Top Ten of 2017
Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 4. A Silent Voice

A SILENT VOICE, a frank examination of bullying and the struggles faced by those with disabilities, comes in our Top 10 Films of 2017 at #4
Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 5. Okja

OKJA is an immersive family adventure with in depth social commentary, making #5 for our Top 10 Films of 2017
Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 6. A Taxi Driver

A TAXI DRIVER comes in at #6 on the easternKicks Top 10 Films of 2017
Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 7. Survival Family

Family comes first in our #7 slot, SURVIVAL FAMILY, for the Top 10 Films of 2017
Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 8. On the Beach at Night Alone

Beneath lies something much more surreal, in our #8 on the list of easternKicks’ Top Films of 2017
Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 9. Angels Wear White

Angels Wear White continues our easternKicks Top 10 films of 2017… coming in at #9!
Feature
Top 10 Films of 2017: 10. Love and Other Cults

Love and Other Cults starts off easternKicks’ Top 10 Film of 2017, coming in at #10 on the list…

The Movies of Amy Yip

Wol-Ha: Very Bad Moon Rising

Death Note: Light Up The New World

Mirai

Ash is Purest White

Green Fish

Shoplifters

Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings

Mind Cage

The Bride With White Hair

The Tailor

Asian Pop-Up Cinema returns for its 7th Season in Chicago

‘A Land Imagined’ first Singapore film to win Locarno Festival top prize

China’s Top Online Streaming Platforms and Production Companies to Cap Actors’ Pay

Horror spectacular GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM screening coming to London

Jackie Chan’s PROJECT A & PROJECT A PART II released for the...

Ten Years and Trivisa director Jevons Au’s new film banned in China...

Mirai

Ash is Purest White

Shoplifters

A Guide to the Asian Films at the 2018 New Zealand International...

An Elephant Sitting Still

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

Wilderness Part One and Two

One Cut of the Dead

Da Hu Fa

River’s Edge

Microhabitat

Tremble All You Want

Satan’s Slaves

Akiko Ooku interview: “I’m trying to give these people a push to...

One Cut of the Dead

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

Outrage Coda

Tremble All You Want

Abnormal Family: Older Brother’s Bride

Blank 13

Japan Society reveals the full line-up for its upcoming JAPAN CUTS Film...

Tremble All You Want

Akiko Ooku interview: “I’m trying to give these people a push to...

Tourism

Masaaki Yuasa interview: “I thought great, I don’t have to stop watching...

Daisuke Miyazaki interview: “I felt I need to film my hometown before...

Crossroads One Two Jaga interview: Nam Ron and Ario Bayu

Wrath of Silence Interview: Xi Yukun and Jiang Wu

Dong Yue interview: “Although he treats himself as a hero, the reality...

BuyBust

River’s Edge

1987: When the Day Comes interview: Kim Yoon-seok and Jang Joon-hwan

Stephy Tang interview: “I was boxing 2-3 times a week, training my...

Respeto

Sad Beauty

Harata Masado interview: “Sekigahara, I have been dreaming about making it for...

The Tailor

Love Education

Sad Beauty

Little Forest

The Scythian Lamb

The Portrait

Akihiro Toda interview: “I really liked mixing these unknown characters together to...

Tremble All You Want

The Tailor

Moon So-ri interview: “I wasn’t relaxed enough for us to improvise!”

The Bride With White Hair

Brigitte Lin: stardom, queering gender and iconicity

The Bride With White Hair

The Peach Blossom Land

Outside The Window

Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia – A True Celluloid Icon

Brigitte Lin to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 20th Udine FEFF

HKIFF to showcase 14 classic Brigitte Lin films

Operation Condor

The Eagle Shooting Heroes

Fresh Wave 2018: No Sleep Club

Fresh Wave 2018: Jellyfish

Fresh Wave 2018: Bright Spring Days

Fresh Wave 2017: Affection

Fresh Wave 2017: Hello

Wong Chun interview: “I’m the director and she writes – simply because...

Fresh Wave 2017: Liu Yang He