Asian Drama

In the early days of the Republic, legendary martial artist Ye Ruzhou suffers a severe injury, losing her memory and winding up in the impoverished alley of Minfu Lane. By a twist of fate, she crosses paths with the carefree Chen Awang, and the two fall for each other. When local tyrant Zheng Juehou intensifies his hold over the neighborhood, Ye Ruzhou rises to defend her new community. Her actions, however, draw unforeseen danger, and together with Chen Awang, she faces the challenge to protect Minfu Lane’s hard-won peace.

A fatigued man wakes up at a bar with a bartender who will forever change his life as he gets to know more about her. Three criminals have somewhat accomplished their task of kidnapping their target, but their overall mission seems to go nowhere in the end. In the late 1970s, a mysterious woman runs a bar where a deadly situation will affect the lives of everyone. Two killers are looking for their faceless victim, who shows up at a diner every day at 6 o'clock sharp. Four incredibly talented Korean filmmakers, four intriguing cinematic visions, four astounding stories revolving around murderers for hire. (Source: fantasiafestival.com) ~~ Adapted from the short story "The Killers" by Ernest Hemingway. ~~ Release dates: Jul 24, 2024 (Festival) || Oct 23, 2024 (Cinema)

Duration: 1 hr. 59 min.

Content Rating: 18+ Restricted (violence & profanity)

The story follows a young man who has been single for a year after his boyfriend suddenly disappeared without a formal breakup. One night, while scrolling through a dating app, he encounters someone who looks strikingly similar to his ex. After a spontaneous hookup, he discovers that this new acquaintance is actually his ex’s twin brother. As he navigates this unexpected twist, he finds himself drawn into a complicated web of emotions. Will he end up choosing between the two brothers, or will he find himself entangled with both?

Duration: 11 min.

Content Rating: Not Yet Rated

The film depicts a coming-of-age story centered on the two sugar babies, Kotone, who is unemployed, and Sakura, a college student, in the coronavirus pandemic, as they try their best to live at the mercy of frivolous men.

Adapted from the novel "Tsuyu no Ato Saki" (つゆのあとさき) by Nagai Kafu (永井荷風).

Duration: 1 hr. 45 min.

Content Rating: 15+ - Teens 15 or older

The film tells the story of a father’s revenge after his daughter’s murder.

A fisherman, Lao Jin, finds out his daughter was murdered while studying in Japan and is determined to avenge his daughter. Meanwhile, Li Miao Miao, the victim’s boyfriend and biggest suspect, has avoided persecution by returning to China with the help of his parents.

(Source: cfensi)

Adapted from the novel "She Guo Fen Nu Di Hai" by Lao Huang.

Duration: 2 hr. 24 min.

Su Mi and Su Yeon return home after an extended illness and hospital stay. Things have not been the same since their mother passed away. Their return is welcomed by Eun Joo, their stepmother. It's evident that Su Mi, the older and stronger of the two, isn't afraid to speak her mind when it comes to their family troubles. Su Yeon is timider and wary of their stepmother and looks to Su Mi for help. Continually picked on and harassed by their stepmother, the two have no choice but to endure the relationship for their father's sake. Su Mi promises Su Yeon that she will never let their stepmother beat them again. Unexplainable things start to occur at the house. Something has changed, no one knows what it is, but the sisters can feel it. On their first night back, Su Yeon hears someone running up the stairs, opening her door, and walking up to her bed. As soon as she pulls the covers over her head, they are pulled right off, yet no one is around. Could it be their stepmother trying to torment them? Or could it be that there's something more sinister at work, a supernatural force in the houses that wants to drive everyone away?

A hardnosed cop goes after a gang of ruthless dacoits who have been terrorising residents along the highway for a decade.

A blind masseur visits a samurai to request the return of a loan. The samurai kills him in anger, then has his servant dump the body in the Kasane swamp. However, the ghost of the masseur returns to haunt the samurai, who kills his wife by mistake and then goes to the swamp and drowns himself. 20 years later, the masseur's daughter unknowingly falls in love with the samurai's son who has been brought up to be a servant.

Akira (Hayato Ichihara) admires Genyo Kamiura who is the most powerful yakuza. Genyo Kamiura has been targeted numerous times, but has never died. He is called the invincible person. Because of Genyo Kamiura, Akira enters the world of the yakuza....

Suzuki Shota (Tamamori Yuta) cannot fit into his job and returns to his hometown from Tokyo. Shota’s childhood friend Hayase Tomomi (Tanimura Mitsuki), who has feelings for him, is delighted about his homecoming, but baffling phenomenon keeps happening around Shota. A figure can be seen in a place where no one should be present, Tomomi’s present of a mug suddenly shatters … … One day, when Shota comes back to his parents’ home, there are cones of salt placed by the entrance and room for good luck. His mother (Ito Ran) falters when he asks for the reason. Even after that, the mysterious events continue, and each time, a woman dressed in white appears … … Who is this lady? Then, Shota’s past is made known … …

Short film from Thailand.

Seen through the prism of the Lin family, this complex family drama from Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao Hsien details a brief but crucial moment in Taiwanese history between 1945, when 50 years of Japanese colonial rule came to an end, and 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Kuomintang forces established a government-in-exile after the Communist army captured mainland China. The film opens with the reedy voice of Emperor Hirohito announcing Japan's surrender as the eldest of the Lin clan's four sons awaits the birth of his child in a coastal town not far from Taipei. Soon afterward, he changes the name of his Japanese decorated bar to "Little Shanghai" and begins trading in the post-war black market. The second son has died in Philippines during the war. The third son, who had a nervous breakdown in Shanghai, starts to consort with Shanghaiese drug dealers upon his return to Taiwan. Once the eldest learns of the third's dealings, he forces him to stop. In retaliation, the Shanghaiese mob arranges for the third son to be imprisoned on trumped up charges of collaboration with the Japanese. The youngest son, Wen-ching, is a gentle deaf-mute photographer who has leftist leanings. The film climaxes with the notorious Incident of February 28, 1947, a Tiananmen Square-style massacre of native Taiwanese committed by Kuomintang troops resulting in between 18,000 to 28,000 causalities. The wounded pour into the neighbor clinic as Wen-ching and his friend Hinoe get arrested. After his release, Hinoe heads for the mountains to join the leftist guerillas while Wen-ching promises to look after his friend's sister Hinomi. Soon after, Wen-ching and Hinomi marry. Just as she is about to bear a child, however, the Kuomintang arrests Wen-ching for his involvement with the guerillas.