Cinemas of Asia

Satyajit Ray’s first portrayal of contemporary life in his native Kolkata, The Big City follows the personal triumphs and frustrations of Arati, who decides, despite the protests of her bank-clerk husband, to take a job to help support their family.

In the heart of Flushing, New York’s largest Chinatown, three working-class immigrants eke out a meager living. When together, there's an easy intimacy—until tragedy strikes, leaving a painful absence in its wake.

Gripping, poetic, and darkly beautiful, Lin Jianjie’s domestic thriller tells of a high school slacker whose mysterious new friend slowly captures the hearts of his parents. This is a terrific debut from a director with a very bright future in cinema.

Over two decades, across China’s rapidly changing landscape, two lovers meet and part and meet again. In this magisterial film, Jia Zhangke refracts the twenty-first century through a reflexive, retrospective look at his era-defining filmography.

Spanning three decades, this powerful drama tells the story of a Hong Kong family of immigrants from the Mainland. Working as writer, director, and star, Sasha Chuk maintains an intimate focus as she takes us through 30 years of love and struggle.

Distinguished by its complexity, its fine ensemble cast, and the beauty of its exteriors, this is a rich, relatable family drama. Making his feature debut, Oh Jung-min uses the seasons to create visual splendour and deep metaphorical power.

This stirring drama traces the upbringing of Dai, a "Child of Deaf Adults" from rural Japan. Blaming his mother for his social differences, he leaves for Tokyo and becomes a magazine writer. New friendships help him see his mother in a poignant new light.

In the deserted hills of an Indonesian island, a young widow is raped and robbed. In defending herself, Marlina kills several of the attacking gang, then sets out to find justice. Surya's spectacular revenge movie coopts western tropes to feminist ends.

When a woman decides to rent her home for a film shoot, she’s not prepared for the intrusion she’ll experience by having the film crew in her space. But as the production ramps up and she finds herself immersed in the work, lines begin to blur...

This hypnotic drama features two brothers separated by an awful uncertainty: one of them may or may not be a murderer. Using the sport of fencing as its central metaphor, Pierce has a thrilling atmosphere of danger and two superb lead performances.

The story of a boy and future dictator, and the woman who saved Khmer classical dance after the brutal Cambodian genocide, Enrique Sánchez Lansch’s documentary is a stunning achievement that sheds new light on one of the darkest moments of history.

At once a love story, a tale of empowerment and an ethnographic record, this captivating drama follows pregnant Pema on a strenuous journey across the Himalayas to clear her name when her child’s paternity is questioned.

This breezy, poetic film mounts a sharp political critique even as it portrays romance with exquisite gentleness. Set in the beaches, cafes, and galleries of southern Thailand, it focuses on two women united in love but divided by culture.

This haunting film depicts a man’s return to the town where he met his now-deceased wife. Shot in long takes, graced with enigmatic motifs, and structured around a lengthy flashback, this is a disturbing but ultimately relatable exploration of love.

Isabelle Huppert and VIFF mainstay Hong Sangsoo reunite for a whimsical, winning tale of culture-clash. She plays a French tutor at large in a South Korean city; he deploys his usual mixture of suggestive repetition, oddball humour, and humble profundity.