Fat Choi Spirit (©2010 Fortune Star Media Limited All Rights Reserved); Gamer Girls (courtesy of Film Movement); Colony (courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment); Crossing a Dawn (©Momo Pictures); and Montreal, Ma Belle (©Filmoption International)

New York, NY (June 9, 2026) – Twenty-five years ago, the New York Asian Film Festival started by screening the most exciting new films from Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan. A quarter century on, the New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) announce the first highlights of the 25th New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), a landmark anniversary edition celebrating 25 years of championing the filmmakers, stars, and cinematic movements that have shaped the future of Asian cinema. Running from July 10 to July 26 across five New York venues, including Film at Lincoln Center, SVA Theatre, IFC Center, Anthology Film Archives, and the Korean Cultural Center New York, NYAFF 2026 marks a major milestone for North America’s leading festival of Asian cinema. Screenings at FLC take place July 10–23, and two venues are homecomings: Anthology Film Archives (where the festival began in 2002) on July 16–18, and IFC Center (the festival’s home for four formative editions) on July 13, 15, 16, and 22.

“We are proud to support the 25th edition of the New York Asian Film Festival, and uplift the stories of Asian communities in NYC and beyond,” said Commissioner Rafael Espinal of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. “Festivals like NYAFF are an extremely vital part of the city’s filmmaking and entertainment ecosystem, and create platforms and opportunities to expose New Yorkers to new and diverse storytelling.”

Opening Night on July 10 at FLC will feature the North American premiere of Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony, the highly anticipated Korean box-office sensation fresh from its world premiere in Cannes’ Midnight Screenings program—the same section that launched Train to Busan 10 years ago. Already the fastest Korean hit of the year, the film locks its survivors inside a central Seoul high-rise while a virus tears through the floors quicker than anyone can say “zombie.” Jun Ji-hyun (Gianna Jun) plays the biotech professor who turns reluctant hero, alongside Ji Chang-wook, Koo Kyo-hwan, and Shin Hyun-been. Yeon Sang-ho will be in person on Opening Night ahead of the film’s August 28 theatrical release.

Colony arrives after Korean cinema’s strongest box-office rebound since the pandemic. NYAFF is planning a special presentation of the year’s other biggest hit: The King’s Warden, now the highest-grossing Korean film of all time, starring Yoo Hae-jin (Exhuma) and Park Ji-hoon. One film broke the all-time record. The other got to the top faster than anything else this year. Both are at the 25th edition of NYAFF.

Following Colony’s premiere on July 10, the Opening Night Market returns to the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery at Film at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater for an annual gathering of the NYAFF community with live music and Asian street food.

The festival is presented with major support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY), Thailand Creative Culture Agency (THACCA), Fundstrat Global Advisors, BitMine, Cathay Pacific, Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York, Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), and Korean Film Council (KOFIC), whose partnership amplifies Asian cinema’s most vital voices.

Opening Weekend Gala: Honoring Joan Chen

NYAFF’s Opening Weekend Gala returns July 11 at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium, where NYAFF presents the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award to Joan Chen. From The Last Emperor and Twin Peaks to her recent work in Dìdi and her luminous turn in Montréal, Ma Belle, Chen has spent four decades widening the range of what an Asian actor can do on American and Asian screens. Sean Wang and Andrew Ahn, her directors on Dìdi and The Wedding Banquet, will present the award. NYAFF presents the New York premiere of Montréal, Ma Belle the following day, July 12.

Festival Highlights

This year’s program features more than 50 filmmakers, ranging from acclaimed veterans to exciting new voices, who will be on hand for post-screening Q&As and special appearances, giving audiences an insider’s look into the stories behind their work. The 25th edition balances two things that have defined NYAFF: discoveries and massive hits from Asian countries that have been primarily unseen in the U.S. and New York.

Yeon Sang-ho: Apocalypse Architect

Yeon Sang-ho first reached NYAFF audiences a decade ago and comes back as one of the most bankable names in streaming as the Netflix hitmaker behind Hellbound, which hit number one worldwide within a day of its release, and Parasyte: The Grey. His new series Human Vapor, a reimagining of Toho’s 1960 sci-fi classic, hits Netflix worldwide on July 2, eight days before Yeon lands in New York. He is also the architect of the most influential zombie universe in modern Asian cinema, and NYAFF is showing all of it: Seoul Station (his 2016 animated horror), Train to Busan in a new 4K presentation on its 10th anniversary North American theatrical re-release, Peninsula, and now Colony.

Rising Stars

Two of Asian cinema’s fastest-rising actors will attend the 25th edition as Screen International Rising Star honorees, both in person. Hong Kong’s Angela Yuen is a Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Award Best Actress nominee and lately a fixture of the new Hong Kong cinema, with films opposite Louis Koo and Greg Hsu in the past year alone. Yuen will appear at the North American premieres of Gamer Girls and Afterpiece. Sara Minami, who has been a consistent presence on Japanese screens since 2017, with an NHK Taiga drama and a Tokyo International Film Festival premiere among her latest highlights, appears with two films at the festival this year, Magical Secret Tour and All Greens.

Hong Kong Keeps Rolling

Hong Kong has built one of the world’s most distinctive film industries, and this year’s Hong Kong Panorama, presented by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York with support from award-winning airline Cathay Pacific, is a reminder of why audiences continue to fall in love with Hong Kong cinema. Longman Leung’s Cold War 1994 is one of the year’s biggest Hong Kong film events, the kind of large-scale local production that showcases the industry at full throttle.

Philip Yung attends in person with Cyclone, 10 years after Port of Call played NYAFF and swept the Hong Kong Film Awards. Jack Ng’s Night King screens in a director’s cut never before shown outside of Hong Kong––darker, grittier, and far closer to the original spirit of Hong Kong genre and Category III cinema than the theatrical version.

Representing a new generation of filmmakers are Keane T.K. Wong’s debut Afterpiece, Amos Why and Frankie Chung’s The Dating Menu, and Joey Wu’s Bird of Paradise. The festival will also present crowd-pleasers and cult classics rarely screened in the U.S., including Pang Ho-cheung’s gleefully dark You Shoot, I Shoot and Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai’s mahjong comedy Fat Choi Spirit (copresented by Green Tile Social Club).

NYAFF also presents a Filmmaker in Focus series dedicated to legendary Hong Kong director Andrew Lau, who co-directed Infernal Affairs and served as cinematographer on much of Chungking Express. The retrospective features three films: his latest hit The Dumpling Queen, the 1998 landmark fantasy epic The Storm Riders, and the car-racing classic Initial D in a newly restored 20th-anniversary 4K edition.

Japan’s Bold Visions

NYAFF’s Japanese lineup spans murder mysteries, revenge comedies, punk rock history, and nightmare-fueled horror. Tomorowo Taguchi’s Street Kingdom captures the energy and rebellion of Tokyo’s Rockers scene, while a different kind of nail-biting energy surrounds Eisuke Naito’s (Liverleaf) survival thriller Higuma!! The Killer Bear. The horror continues as Koji Shiraishi (Noroi) brings the viral horror phenomenon Kinki to the big screen. As part of NYAFF’s 25th anniversary Rediscoveries program, Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer returns, giving audiences another chance to experience one of Japan’s most notorious cult classics.

Korean Cinema’s New Directions

Korean films in addition to Colony include two films that reckon with the Jeju 4·3 Incident, the 1947–54 massacres in which tens of thousands of Jeju islanders were killed, and which South Korea spent decades unable to speak about: Ha Myung-mi’s period epic Hallan, led by commercial star Kim Hyang-gi, and My Name, veteran Chung Ji-young’s drama of silenced trauma with Yeom Hye-ran (No Other Choice). When My Name premiered in Korea, the President of South Korea was in the audience. Chung, the conscience of Korean political cinema since White Badge, will attend in person. Both films carry the support of the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation, and they run alongside the festival’s Jeju 4·3 exhibition. My Sassy Girl comes back in 4K, and Journey There, Kim Jin-yu’s drama about grief, music, and reconnection, pairs Kim Hye-ok with Justin H. Min (After Yang, Beef, The Umbrella Academy), a Korean-American actor crossing into Korean-language cinema, who will also appear in person.

The Cutting Edge of East and Southeast Asian Cinema

Highlights from the Taiwanese lineup include Giddens Ko’s martial arts comedy Kung Fu and Lee Yi-shan’s Golden Horse-winning debut A Dance with Rainbows, as well as I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish starring Kai Ko. Thailand is represented by 4 Tigers, Kongkiat Komesiri’s $100 million expansion of the Khun Pan universe, starring Pee Mak star Mario Maurer. Also representing Thailand is the Isan folk horror The Undertaker 2, Tha Rae: The Exorcist, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s Human Resource, and Gohan, which unites three filmmakers behind modern Thai cinema’s biggest blockbusters, Chayanop Boonprakob (Friend Zone), Baz Poonpiriya (Bad Genius), and Atta Hemwadee.

The Philippines is represented by two of its most exciting filmmakers: Rafael Manuel’s Sundance-winning debut Filipiñana, a sharp look at class and privilege inside a Manila country club, and star-powered Manila’s Finest, from short film Palme d’Or award winner Raymond Red.

In 10s Across the Borders, Singaporean director Chan Sze-Wei follows three trailblazers of Southeast Asia’s underground ballroom scene from Manila and Bangkok to New York, where Black and Latinx Ballroom culture first took root.

Vietnam brings Leon Le’s Ky Nam Inn, a beautifully shot 35mm drama set in 1985 Saigon, and Tony Bui’s A Life in Cinema, a live cine-concert celebrating the history of Vietnamese filmmaking.

From China, NYAFF presents Peng Fei’s Take Off and the Beijing romance Crossing a Dawn, with more titles to be revealed in the next festival announcement.

An announcement of the second wave of NYAFF 2026 lands next week, featuring additional premieres, the Centerpiece and Closing Film selections, and award recipients.

NYAFF TICKET PRICING AND INFO: Tickets for Film at Lincoln Center screenings at the New York Asian Film Festival will go on sale on Thursday, June 18, at 2:00 pm ET at filmlinc.org, with early access for FLC and NYAFF Members beginning at 12:00 pm ET.

Standard screening tickets at FLC are $20 for the General Public, $17 for students, seniors (62+), and persons with disabilities, and $15 for FLC and NYAFF Members. Premium screenings are $30 for the General Public, $27 for students, seniors (62+), and persons with disabilities, and $25 for FLC and NYAFF Members.

Opening Night Film + Night Market tickets are $50 for the General Public, $45 for students, seniors (62+), and persons with disabilities, and $40 for FLC and NYAFF Members.

Festivalgoers can also save $2 on each ticket with a 3+ Film Package at Film at Lincoln Center. Opening Night and premium events are excluded from the 3+ Film Package.

For complete pricing details and additional information on FLC screenings, visit filmlinc.org; for additional information on other venues, visit nyaff.org.

For Opening Gala tickets, please visit galabid.com/nyaffgala2026.

FIRST WAVE OF LINEUP
Please note the program is subject to change.
Films marked with ** will screen at Film at Lincoln Center.

CANADA
**Montréal, Ma Belle | dir. Xiaodan He | Canada, 2025 | New York Premiere

CHINA
Crossing a Dawn | dir. Zhao Badou | China, 2026 | New York Premiere
**Take Off | dir. Peng Fei | China, 2026 | North American Premiere
**The Dumpling Queen | dir. Andrew Lau | China, Hong Kong, 2025 | Special Screening

HONG KONG Panorama (presented by Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York with support from award-winning airline, Cathay Pacific)
**Afterpiece | dir. Keane T.K. Wong | Hong Kong, 2026 | North American Premiere
**Bird of Paradise | dir. Joey Wu | Hong Kong, 2026 | International Premiere
**Cold War 1994 | dir. Longman Leung | Hong Kong, 2025 | Special Screening
**Cyclone | dir. Philip Yung | Hong Kong, 2026 | North American Premiere
**Fat Choi Spirit | dir. Johnnie To, Wai Ka-fai | Hong Kong, 2002 | Special Screening
**Gamer Girls | dir. Veronica Bassetto, Sophie Yang | Hong Kong, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Initial D (20th Anniversary 4K) | dir. Andrew Lau, Alan Mak | Hong Kong, 2005 | Special Screening
**Night King (Director’s Cut) | dir. Jack Ng | Hong Kong, 2026 | International Premiere
**The Dating Menu | dir. Amos Why, Frankie Chung | Hong Kong/Taiwan, 2026 | International Premiere
**The Storm Riders | dir. Andrew Lau | Hong Kong, 1998 | Special Screening
You Shoot, I Shoot | dir. Pang Ho-cheung | Hong Kong, 2001 | Special Screening

JAPAN
**All Greens | dir. Takashi Koyama | Japan, 2026 | North American Premiere
**Higuma!! The Killer Bear | dir. Eisuke Naito | Japan, 2025 | North American Premiere
Ichi the Killer | dir. Takashi Miike | Japan, 2001 | Special Screening
**Kinki | dir. Koji Shiraishi | Japan, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Magical Secret Tour | dir. Chihiro Amano | Japan, 2026 | North American Premiere
**Street Kingdom | dir. Tomorowo Taguchi | Japan, 2026 | North American Premiere
Unchained | dir. Keisuke Yoshida | Japan, 2025 | North American Premiere

MACAU / TAIWAN / HONG KONG / THAILAND
**Girlfriends | dir. Tracy Choi | Macau/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Thailand, 2025 | North American Premiere

PHILIPPINES
10s Across the Borders | dir. Chan Sze-Wei | Philippines/Singapore/Germany, 2025 | New York Premiere
**Filipiñana | dir. Rafael Manuel | Singapore/U.K./Philippines/France/Netherlands, 2026 | New York Premiere
Manila’s Finest | dir. Raymond Red | Philippines, 2025

SOUTH KOREA (co-presented with Korean Cultural Center New York and supported by Korean Film Council (KOFIC))
3670 | dir. Park Joon-ho | South Korea, 2025 | New York Premiere
**Colony | dir. Yeon Sang-ho | South Korea, 2026 | North American Premiere | OPENING NIGHT
Frosted Window | dir. Kim Jong-kwan | South Korea, 2026 | North American Premiere
Funky Freaky Freaks | dir. Han Chang-lok | South Korea, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Journey There | dir. Kim Jin-yu | South Korea, 2025 | North American Premiere
Lovely Death | dir. Lee Won-suk | South Korea, 2026 | International Premiere
My Sassy Girl (4K Restoration) | dir. Kwak Jae-yong | South Korea, 2001 | North American Premiere
Peninsula | dir. Yeon Sang-ho | South Korea, 2020 | Special Screening
Seoul Station | dir. Yeon Sang-ho | South Korea, 2016 | Special Screening
The Chaser | dir. Na Hong-jin | South Korea, 2008 | Special Screening
The King’s Warden | dir. Chang Hang-jun | South Korea, 2025 | Special Screening
**Train to Busan (10th Anniversary 4K) | dir. Yeon Sang-ho | South Korea, 2016 | Special Screening
**Hallan | dir. Ha Myung-mi | South Korea, 2025 | North American Premiere. Supported by Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation
**My Name | dir. Chung Ji-young | South Korea, 2026 | North American Premiere. Supported by Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation

TAIWAN (presented with the support of Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York)
**A Dance with Rainbows | dir. Lee Yi-shan | Taiwan, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Deep Quiet Room | dir. Shen Ko-Shang | Taiwan/Italy, 2026 | North American Premiere
I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish | dir. Chao Koi Wang, Hu Chin-Yen | Taiwan, 2026 | North American Premiere
**Kiss Me My Ghost Friend | dir. Chen Ta-pu | Taiwan, 2025 | North American Premiere
Kung Fu | dir. Giddens Ko | Taiwan, 2026 | U.S. Premiere
**Last Night in Taipei | dir. Kuo Cheng-chui | Taiwan/France, 2025 | U.S. Premiere

THAILAND (presented with the support of Thailand Creative Culture Agency – THACCA)
**4 Tigers | dir. Kongkiat Komesiri | Thailand, 2025 | North American Premiere
**Gohan | dir. Chayanop Boonprakob, Baz Poonpiriya, Atta Hemwadee | Thailand, 2026 | North American Premiere
Human Resource | dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit | Thailand, 2026 | North American Premier
**Tha Rae: The Exorcist | dir. Taweewat Wantha | Thailand, 2025 | North American Premiere
**The Undertaker 2 | dir. Thiti Srinuan | Thailand, 2025 | North American Premiere

U.S.
**Jet Lag in Summer | dir. Yan Kunao | Hong Kong/U.S., 2025 | U.S. Premiere

VIETNAM
**A Life in Cinema | dir. Tony Bui | Vietnam/U.S., 2026 | World Premiere
**Ky Nam Inn | dir. Leon Le | Vietnam, 2025 | New York Premiere

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL (NYAFF)
Celebrating its 25th edition in 2026, the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is North America’s leading festival of Asian cinema. It was called “the best film festival in New York” by The Village Voice and “arguably the world’s best-curated program of new and classic Asian cinema” by IndieWire. Launched in 2002, the festival showcases a wildly diverse lineup of singular titles each year, ranging from mainstream blockbusters and art-house eccentricities to genre and cult classics. It was the first North American film festival to champion the works of Johnnie To, Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike, and other auteurs of contemporary Asian cinema. Notable festival guests have included Lee Byung-hun, Ryoo Seung-wan, Masami Nagasawa, Sammo Hung, Lee Jung-jae, and Jackie Chan. Since 2010, NYAFF has been produced in collaboration with Film at Lincoln Center.