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

High school student Watanuki Kimihiro has the ability to see spirits and monsters but is actually plagued with them. Coming home one day, he’s once again assailled by evil apparitions but his feet lead him to a strange shop. There he encounters Ichihara Yuko, the mysterious owner who offers to grant Watanuki’s wish to be rid of the spirits. But the price must be of equal value, so Watanuki has to temporarily work for her in her shop that grant wishes. Thus begins his adventures in an world full of supernatural experiences.

Adapted from the manga "xxxHOLiC" by Clamp (クランプ).

Home Lost

(Short Film / 15 min) Unable to cope with the accidental loss of his wife, an out of work father struggles to give his daughter the happiest day of her life before executing a plan. DIRECTOR: Chun-Yi Hsieh / FESTIVALS: Best Asian American Student Filmmaker at Directors Guild of America; Tribecca Film Festival; Directing Craft Award at First Run Film Festival; Palm Springs International ShortFest

The film tells the story of two fashionable girls born in the 1990s who get to know each other through renting an apartment together. Their relationship transforms from that of enemies to best friends.

On the outskirts of town, an unwed daughter lives with her father who suffers from dementia. The pair plays cards every night. The women desperately desires to break away from her life, but cannot ...

The treasure of the company Teikoku Shinju, a natural pearl called the ‘Golden Star’ is stolen. The ‘Golden Star’ is said to be expensive enough to buy a New York skyscraper. The theft is made public and Teikoku Shinju’s share price plunges. This incident triggers an internal struggle between the company’s chairman Iwakura Jusaburo (Nishida Toshiyuki) and president Iwakura Tsuneko (Zaizen Naomi) for the company president’s position. Tsuneko, the daughter of Teikoku Shinju’s founder and Jusaburo’s stepsister, is forced to take responsibility and step down. Learning about the fmaily’s infighting from media reports, Sawaguchi Nobuko (Yonekura Ryoko) hides her beauty with black glasses and loose, disheveled hair, and goes into the home as a housekeeper. She has a specific objective to fulfil at the Iwakura household. Nobuko had gone to see the ‘Golden Star’, which was displayed in a department store, and encountered an enigmatic man (Yokota Eiji) who suddenly appeared in front of her. The man seemed to have a connection to the ‘Golden Pearl’ and the Iwakura family. He had encouraged her to try wearing the pearl like the ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ painted by Vemeer. As customers and news reporters swarmed around them, Nobuko had fled the place without thinking. But in doing so, the precious pearl earring was lost. According to store personnel, that man had taken it out. Nobuko’s intuition tells her that the man is involved in the theft of the ‘Golden Star’ and she guesses he will show up at the Iwakura home some day. There is a portrait in the Iwakura home of a man who resembles him as if in confirmation of her conjecture. What is this man’s true identity? After that, the more the battle between the chairman and company president heats up, the more the share price of Teikoku Shinju continues to mysteriously rise. Why did the pearl disappear? Nobuko who has peeked at the secrets and conspiracies in the mansion, takes action … …

Osugi Ryota (Kagawa Teruyuki), a former detective of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division, resigned from the police because of some incident and now runs a private investigation agency. One day, a beautiful weather girl Koike Risa (Hayami Akari) visits Osugi with a request. She wants him to search for her younger twin sister Rina (Hayami Akari) who was supposed to have died 18 years ago. In the footage of a video that was anonymously put into Risa’s mailbox, Rina is seen to suddenly transform like a beast and attack a counselor in the room of a facility. Risa is convinced that her younger sister is still alive somewhere. And that she is also the criminal who killed her parents one year earlier … … After Risa’s parents were murdered by someone at the research lab of an abandoned university hospital, their hearts were gouged out. Osugi gets his partner, senior patrol officer Narumiya Keisuke (Ito Atsushi), involved. Narumiya starts examining whether anyone is living in Risa’s family home now as well as the scene where her parents were killed. The “ghost of the heart professor” is rumoured to appear at research lab. Narumiya finds something inside the dark, dilapidated place. Meanwhile, Osugi who is going through a divorce settlement with his wife Keiko (Horiuchi Keiko) over the custody of their daughter Megumi (Sugisaki Hana), is asked why he quit being a police officer without consulting his family. But he stubbornly keeps silent. What flashes in his mind are the memories of the case that led to his resignation. The gruesome serial murders by a criminal who is a copycat of Shingai Hiromi, that he pursued together with junior detective Mishima Akifumi (Kiritani Kenta) … …

For some reason, Kunitachi Kunihiko, a language arts teacher, always finds himself quarreling with his student, Ichimiya Kazumi, an anti-social girl without any friends. When he tells her to make some friends, she declares: "Be my friend, Sensei."