Asian Drama

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

Captain of the City Guard Yuan Boya is stripped of rank after the imperial tribute he was guarding is stolen. Unwilling to let things lie, he searches for the thieves, only to end up entering a mystical world of demons. Along the way, he becomes mixed up in a feud between Yin Yang Master Qing Ming and the human and demon worlds. Yuan Boya and Qing Ming go from mutual distaste to grudging respect, eventually establishing an unbreakable bond between master and "familiar." The two work together to solve an old mystery and prove Qing Ming's innocence, while also unraveling a conspiracy to bring the Demon King back from the dead and destroy the human world.

Adapted from the mobile game "Onmyoji" (阴阳师) by NetEase, which in turn is based upon the novel series "Onmyoji" (陰陽師) by Yumemakura Baku (夢枕獏).

Umi Ishihara soaks the frame with melancholia as her characters drive into the night with no destination in sight for her effortlessly cool debut feature that explores the limbo state of becoming an adult.

The effortlessly cool debut feature by artist and film director Ishihara Umi, also known as UMMMI, captures the feeling of perpetual limbo that is the experience of shifting between youth and adulthood. Hikari is a mother-to-be who is becoming frustrated by her boyfriend Taro's inability to take on responsibility. Taro's eccentric 'aunt' Kyoko invites her to a party at her house, which has become a hub for young drifters who together comfort their surrogate mother who is struggling to recover from her husband's untimely death. Hikari finds herself the only adult in the room and attracts the interest of Kyoko's young boyfriend. Shinomiya Yukari, in her role as Hikari, performs teen angst with such comfortable numbness she even makes uncertainty come across with clarity. Ishihara soaks the frame with melancholia as her characters drive into the night with no destination in sight.