NYAFF to Open With ‘Colony’, Celebrate Joan Chen
Jail time for Raymond Wong, 'KPop Demon Hunters' makes theatrical return, Edna Fainaru dies and will Thailand get a World Cup deal?
25th Edition of NYAFF Goes Long on Hong Kong Cinema
The 25th anniversary edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (July 10-26) will open with a screening of the acclaimed Korean zombie action film “Colony”, which debuted at Cannes in the Midnight Screening section and which has dominated the Korean box office for the past two weeks.
NYAFF is planning a special presentation of the year’s other biggest Korean hit, “The King’s Warden”.
The festival’s opening weekend will be dedicated to Joan Chen, presenting her with a Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award and screening her two recent films “Didi” and “Montreal, Ma Belle”.
The festival revealed a large chunk of its programming, but still has disclose additional premieres, the centre-piece and closing film selections, and award recipients. What it revealed so far goes very long on recent films from Hong Kong.
2026 NYAFF selection, by nationality (incomplete)
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
“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 the Ministry of Culture of Thailand and the Department of Cultural Promotion)
“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
Prison Sentence for Raymond Wong
Raymond Wong, one of the biggest name actor-director-producers in the Hong Kong film industry, has been sentenced to five months of jail for insider trading involving the shares of his own company Pegasus Entertainment.
Wong was found guilty last month and the sentence was delivered by a West Kowloon magistrate on Tuesday. He was released on bail pending an appeal.
The court heard that in 2017 Wong informed his sister of an upcoming takeover of the company and transferred her HK$2 million and then sent her multiple share purchase instructions.
In addition to the prison sentence, Wong was fined some HK$100,000 and ordered to pay HK$370,000 to the Securities and Futures Commission to cover its investigation and legal costs.
Paramount Acquisition of WBD Cleared… in Australia, NZ
Warner Bros Discovery’s acquisition by Paramount-Skydance has been okayed by national competition regulators in Australia and New Zealand, the two companies report.
The mega deal has yet to to be approved by the US’s Department of Justice or by monopolies regulators in the UK or European Union. In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority has opened a ‘Phase 1’ enquiry into the proposed bid. It has until early August to decide whether there is enough evidence to suggest that the merger could reduce media competition in the country. If so, the case would be escalated to a ‘Phase 2’ probe.
World Cup Kick Off: Thailand Troubles
Unconfirmed rumours say that Jasmine International (JAS) may hold a press conference today (Thursday 11 June) to announce that it has finally reached a deal to become the country’s broadcaster of the World Cup football tournament which gets under way today (tomorrow morning in Asian time zones).
As recently as yesterday, Thai media was reporting that Jasmine International (JAS) has still not agreed terms with FIFA, the event organiser, over broadcast rights in the football-mad Southeast Asian country. They report that JAS had offered $15 million, but that FIFA would not drop the price below $40 million.
Janine Stein at ContentAsia has previously reported that the Thai government’s previous interventions in the sports rights market have created such uncertainty that private sector companies’ incentive to bid up the rights has been diminished. Add to that, the matches’ early morning schedule (in Asia) make the tournament less valuable than, say, the 2022 edition in Qatar.
If the deal has been signed, JAS has little time to put together its coverage, commentary and analysis teams and sell advertising. Watch this space.
SEA Broadcasters of 2026 World Cup
Cambodia: Hang Meas Video
Indonesia: TVRI Indonesia
Philippines: Aleph Group
Singapore: MediaCorp
Timor-Leste : ETO-TELCO
Vietnam: VTV - Vietnam Television
Malaysia: Total Sports
Laos: Unitel Laos
Brunei: Radioa Television Brunei
Myanmar: Mytel
Table info courtesy of The Nation
Dual Purpose
The US Department of Defense this week reinstated a dozen Chinese companies including Alibaba, Baidu and carmaker BYD to a list of companies that it says have ties to the Chinese military. This is seemingly because they have ‘dual use technology’, meaning either hardware or software that can have both military and civilian uses, something that the US considers to have negative national security consequences. The list, known as 1260H, can lead to increased scrutiny, restrictions on US government procurement and other risks for the companies included. Social media and gamed company Tencent was already on the list and remains so after the recent revision.
In reaction to their re-listing, Baidu and Alibaba have both made statements of denial.
“The company is neither a Chinese military company nor a military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base, the company believes that there is no justification for the company’s inclusion on such list. The CMC List is not a sanctions list. The U.S. government procurement limitations tied to the list will not impact the business of the company, and the CMC List does not restrict transacting in the securities of the company,” Baidu said.
Baidu is listed on NASDAQ in the US, where its shares are traded in ADR form. It has a secondary listing in Hong Kong. At current prices, its market capitalisation is $41.2 billion.
‘Hope’ to Hit Home in July
“Hope”, the big-budget action film that may not have been complete when it premiered in competition in Cannes last month, has set a date for its Korean commercial debut.
It will play in conventional and IMAX theatres from 15 July, distributor Showbox announced.
The film was enthusiastically received by critics and audiences in Cannes, but some criticised the poor quality of its special effects. Director Na Hong-jin subsequently explained that he had previously resisted Cannes’ invitation on the grounds that he had not finished the film’s post-production. After the Cannes performances, Na added that he would now spend time getting the film ready for its Korean release.
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Theatrical Re-Release
Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters” is to enjoy a three-day theatrical rerelease (12-14 June) marking the first anniversary of the film’s original online release.
This re-release will take place at 30 CGV theaters nationwide, screening both the dubbed and subtitled versions. Sing-along screenings will be available at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall, Wangsimni, Yeongdeungpo Times Square, Dongtan, Cheonan Pentaport, and Asiad.
The move follows a limited theatrical release in 100 CGV theatres last year, after the online film had proved to be a cultural and social phenomenon.
“We hope you enjoy the charm of the film on the big screen with rich sound.” Jang Ji-yeon, head of content operations at CJ CGV.
Thailand Film Incentives
Thailand’s cash rebate scheme for incoming foreign film productions has attracted more than 100 shoots since launching in 2017, the country’s Department of Tourism said last week.
Together these have generated over THB20 billion of revenue, the department said, helping distribute income to Thai people and operators in the film industry, as well as more than 170,000 businesses and workers in related service sectors and industries..
Productions hailing from the US were the most frequent users of the scheme, with 54 productions, followed by Hong Kong (10) and the UK (9).
“This success reflects Thailand’s potential and readiness to welcome film productions from around the world, whether in terms of diverse filming locations, professional crews, logistics systems, services, and cooperation from government and private-sector agencies that help facilitate efficient filming,” said Jaturon Phakdeewanich, director-general of the Department of Tourism.
Edna Fainaru RIP
Edna Fainaru, one of the best-known figures on the international film festival circuit, has died. She was 85, her daughter Dana Fainaru announced on Instagram on Sunday.
Often working together with her husband Dan, Edna Fainaru was a film trade journalist, critic and festival programmer. The pair founded the Israeli journal Cinematheque in 1982 and for many years wrote for the London-based Screen International.
She will be long remembered for her generosity, unblinkered curiosity and excitement at all things new in the film industry.
Clanger
The Hollywood Reporter is in the process of launching a local edition in Australia, but this week got a claimed exclusive story badly wrong.
The new publication is to be published by Raine Media under license from The Hollywood Reporter, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation, it was announced last month.
While the venture’s website is still only a landing page, it has begun putting stories out on Instagram. On Monday, these included the exclusive news that “Colin From Accounts” star Patrick Brammall is to be the host of the upcoming Logies awards.
Hours later, the Logies own website announced that 22-year-old former “I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here” host Robert Irwin will in fact be the host.
The TV WEEK Logie Awards will take place on Sunday, 16 August at The Star, Sydney.