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Asian cinema

Asian cinema
Views, news, and reviews of films from the continent's biggest movie production centres.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
The ancient temples of Angkor Wat provide a stunning backdrop for the Angkor Empire Marathon. Photo: Cambodia Tourism Board

Why Cambodia’s Angkor marathons are a big winner with runners from around the world

The Southeast Asian nation’s ever more popular running events pass through scenery so beautiful even racers stop to take photographs.

In partnership with:Cambodia Tourism Board
Reading Time:4 minutes
Ornate structures at the Tiger Balm Garden, in Tai Hang, in 1986. Photo: SCMP Archives

In pictures: Haw Par Mansion and the long-lost Tiger Balm Garden

Reading Time:1 minute
The Renegades, a Hong Kong-based all-women dragon-boat team, train at Stanley Main Beach. Photo: Alexander Mak

How Hong Kong’s all-female Renegades dragon-boating team is making waves

Reading Time:6 minutes
Tai On Coffee and Tea Shop, in Hong Kong's Yau Ma Tei district, has harnessed the power of social media to attract young diners. Photo: Alexander Mak

Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng cafes thrive globally as Gen-Z embraces nostalgic dining

Reading Time:4 minutes
Fishermen at Sheung Wan, in 1984. Photo: SCMP Archives

In pictures: Hong Kong’s fishing industry through the years

Reading Time:1 minute
Earth-and-brick houses in Yangchan village, in China's Anhui province. Photo: Thomas Bird

Explore Jiangnan’s rural retreats and escape the city hustle

Reading Time:7 minutes
MORE IN POSTMAG
Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
(From left) Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian and Xie Miao in a still from The Furious (category III, Mandarin, English, Thai), directed by Kenji Tanigaki. Yang Enyou co-stars.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | The Furious: an instant classic if you like gory, bone-crunching violence

Generic, unfunny and emotionally hollow, The Furious will nevertheless delight those who simply want to watch people getting slaughtered.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How the Young and Dangerous films of the 1990s made triad gangsters sexy

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Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Hong Kong wuxia ‘princess’ Michelle Yim has kept shining for 55 years

Fame and celebrity

Bridgerton’s Katie Leung on her love of Hong Kong film stars and motherhood

In an interview with Style at Hong Kong’s first Comic Con, the actress speaks about representation and being at peace with herself.

Actress Katie Leung at Hong Kong Comic Con 2026. Photo: Hong Kong Comic Con 2026 Limited
American cinema

The rise of liminal space horror movies like Backrooms and Exit 8

Box-office hit Backrooms highlights a growing obsession with eerie liminal spaces like hallways, alleyways and empty shopping centres.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Sharla Cheung excelled next to Stephen Chow in 1990s Hong Kong cinema

Sharla Cheung Man’s cool glamour and movie-star looks were a feature of 1990s Hong Kong cinema. Here are some of her best films.

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China’s Communist Party

Actress Lin Chi-ling quits Taiwan culture board amid backlash

Lin withdrew from the board of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency after backlash from the island’s arts community and Beijing.

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Actress and model Lin Chi-ling at a jewellery promotion event in 2023 in Taipei. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
India

Reel politik: India tells filmmakers to drop ‘China-bashing’ as ties warm

India’s diplomatic thaw with China is causing films about the 2020 Galwan Valley clash to be retitled, reshot or shelved entirely.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Unexpected Courage: Rene Liu’s mid-40s career woman risks life over pregnancy

Rene Liu stars as a woman whose successful career is put on hold when she continues a risky pregnancy in this poorly conceived drama.

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ByteDance

ByteDance AI films shake up Cannes as TikTok owner challenges Hollywood norms

A new cinematic tool, Seedance 2.0, can generate feature-length movies for a fraction of traditional costs.

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In this photo illustration, the logo of ByteDance’s AI video model, Seedance 2.0, is displayed on a smartphone screen in China’s Jiangsu province. Illustration: Getty Images
European cinema

Best movies from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, from Fjord to Minotaur

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival may have lacked its usual blockbusters, but that gave indie films more exposure. Here are 10 of the best.

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Virginie Efira in a still from All of a Sudden – one of the highlights of the Cannes Film Festival – directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

The best car stunts in Hong Kong cinema: Police Story, Initial D and more

The most famous car stunt in Hong Kong movie history, and one that made its stuntman instantly famous, feature on our list of the best.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | The Samurai and the Prisoner: Kiyoshi Kurosawa back with feudal-era thriller

The veteran Japanese director’s new film with Masahiro Motoki as a besieged warlord is an intelligent, captivating spin on the samurai genre.

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Asian cinema: Korean films

How Colony features a new kind of zombie to reflect modern fears

Director Yeon Sang-ho of Train to Busan fame explains how AI and social media anxiety inspired the zombies in his new horror film.

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A still from Colony.
Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Hope: director Na Hong-jin of The Wailing fame returns with a monster mess

A promising beginning and strong performances are not enough to save Hope from being a messy spectacle with woeful CGI monsters.

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Jung Ho-yeon (front) and Hwang Jung-min in a still from Hope.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Alex Law and Mabel Cheung’s nostalgic films are among their finest

Two of the most poignant movies by life partners Law and Cheung explore migration and memory, and star the likes of Sammo Hung and Simon Yam.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Sheep in the Box: Hirokazu Koreeda tackles grief in sci-fi drama

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Cannes entry probes grief, artificial intelligence and family bonds, but its subplots leave the film scattered.

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K-drama news

Profile | Who is Cha Eun-woo, K-pop idol starring in Netflix K-drama The Wonderfools?

Since his 2014 debut, the ‘Face Genius’ has embodied a fantasy figure in many roles. His latest hits screens as he performs military service.

Cha Eun-woo as Lee Un-jeong in a still from The Wonderfools. Photo: Netflix.
Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Colony: Jun Ji-hyun returns in slick but empty zombie thriller

Jun Ji-hyun stars as a biotech professor battling bloodthirsty zombies in Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho’s new film.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | All of a Sudden: Ryusuke Hamaguchi wows with Paris-set drama

Starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, the three-hour movie on caregiving and capitalism is anchored by a profound bilingual conversation.

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European cinema

Review | Parallel Tales: Asghar Farhadi misfires with latest French excursion

This tale of voyeurism in Paris, starring Vincent Cassel, Virginie Efira and Isabelle Huppert, lacks any tension or romantic intrigue.

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Isabelle Huppert as Sylvie (left) and Adam Bessa as Adam in a still from Parallel Tales, directed by Asghar Farhadi.
Fashion

Lu’u Dan x Bruce Lee collab celebrates Asian masculinity

The collection’s launch on May 14 coincides with AAPI Heritage Month and the release of the brand’s fall/winter 2026 collection, All Bets Are Off.

London-based Lu’u Dan has a new collab out... with Bruce Lee Enterprises. Photo: Handout
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Nagi Notes: Koji Fukada ponders the meaning of art in wartime

Featuring nuanced performances and beautiful camerawork, Nagi Notes asks what art should mean in the chaotic world we live in.

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Asian cinema: Korean films

How The King’s Warden sold 16 million tickets and saved the Korean box office

Producer Lim Eun-jung, director Jang Hang-jun and actor Yoo Hae-jin explain why the historical drama struck a chord with Korean audiences.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | A Man and a Woman: Hong Kong-set quarantine drama is a tough watch

Neighbouring hotel guests develop a relationship over the course of their 21-day quarantine in Hong Kong in Guan Hu’s pandemic-set drama.

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Ni Ni (left) and Huang Bo in a still from A Man and A Woman.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Lau Ching-wan’s best mid-1990s films, from Loving You to Big Bullet

Several of Lau’s mid-1990s roles strongly hinted at the greatness to come for the four-time best actor winner.

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Hong Kong actor Lau Ching-wan attends an interview with the South China Morning Post in 1996. We look at three of his best films from the mid-1990s. Photo: SCMP
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | ‘I don’t want to be a diva or a billionaire’: Kay Tse’s 20-year Cantopop legacy

Cantopop singer Kay Tse’s two-decade career has been built on authenticity, a commitment to social issues and her love of Hong Kong.

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Fame and celebrity

Ludi Lin – Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat 2 – talks childhood and representation

Before he resumed his Mortal Kombat role, the actor worked on Power Rangers, Monster Hunt, DC’s Aquaman and Netflix’s Black Mirror.

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