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Asian cinema

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Asian cinema
Views, news, and reviews of films from the continent's biggest movie production centres.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
ComplexCon Hong Kong 2025 unveils a star-studded music lineup featuring headliners Metro Boomin and Zico. Photo: ComplexCon

ComplexCon Hong Kong announces Metro Boomin and Zico as 2025 headliners

A meeting of American and Asian hip-hop, the concerts also feature Quavo, Hong Kong favs MC Jin and Jace, and South Korea’s Changmo and B.I.

Reading Time:2 minutes
Tilda Swinton hits Hong Kong to make the case for film preservation and praise the magic of old cinema. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Tilda Swinton brings star power to a conversation on classic Hong Kong films

Reading Time:5 minutes
NewJeans perform during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, in December 2023. Photo: Getty Images

NJZ, formerly NewJeans, are coming to ComplexCon Hong Kong

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Angela Wu, associate professor at HKUST’s division of life science, and department of chemical and biological engineering. Photo: TMT

She tried several careers but found her niche in genetic sequencing

Reading Time:3 minutes
Florence Chan came up with an idea for a device that allowed AI to be eyes for the visually impaired. Photo: TMT

Can AI help the blind navigate their world? This innovation may be the answer

Reading Time:3 minutes
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Trending in China

Shock as China building workers hung on gate by harnesses as safety training

Three construction workers in China were hung from a gate by their harnesses as part of their safety training, sparking public shock. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

Military

Chinese satellites seen ‘dogfighting’, US Space Force official says

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A Shiyan-24C experimental satellite is launched from a sea platform in 2024. The satellite is among those seen “dogfighting in space”, according to the USSF. Photo: Handout

Military

China’s 6th-gen fighter sighted again as Trump ‘set to announce’ jet contract

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China’s sixth-generation stealth fighter has been spotted on another test run. Photo: Weibo/第一军情

Science

Chinese breakthrough challenges Elon Musk’s verdict on paralysed patients

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Four patients with spinal cord injuries were able to move their limbs hours after groundbreaking surgery as part of a clinical trial led by Shanghai’s Fudan University. Photo: Fudan University

Science

Former US defence researcher Zhan Hanyu joins China’s elite aerospace university

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In December, Zhan Hanyu became a full-time professor at the college of automation engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics after studying and working in the US for more than 15 years. Photo: The Paper
Cheng Pei-pei (left) and Yueh Hua in a still from Dragon Swamp (1969).
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

From worst to best, 4 fantasy wuxia films with weird monsters

We recall a lurid mix of wuxia and witchcraft, Cheng Pei-pei in Dragon Swamp, and two films featuring a risible lizard and non-giant spider.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Broken Oath, starring Angela Mao, is a hidden gem of kung fu film

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Ne Zha 2, record-breaking Chinese animated film, is the real deal

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How the Erotic Ghost Story films shocked and seduced Hong Kong

The trio of 1990s adult movies with Hong Kong sex symbols like Amy Yip and Japanese adult-video actresses like Kudo Hitomi were a huge hit.

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(From left) Amy Yip, Man Siu and Kudo Hitomi in a still from Erotic Ghost Story.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 of the best Chinese wuxia films made in the 21st century

Sword-fighting films were popular in the 1960s and 1990s. Tsui Hark and Derek Yee were among directors who reinvented the genre this century.

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Asian cinema: Korean films

‘I’m second,’ says South Korean star Hyun Bin on life now he’s a dad

Hyun Bin says his son and his wife, Crash Landing on You co-star Son Ye-jin, are his priorities, and reveals the pressures of making Harbin.

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Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Forbidden Fairytale: bubbly Korean sex comedy is closed-minded and prudish

Park Ji-hyun plays a youth protection officer who starts writing pornography to pay for car repairs in this non-risqué erotic comedy.

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Park Ji-hyun as as Dan-bi in a still from Forbidden Fairytale.
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Girls on Wire: Wen Qi shines in Vivian Qu’s uneven genre blender

Taiwanese actress shows her versatility as a soap star turned stuntwoman in a film marred by narrative confusion and a sudden tonal change.

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Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Mickey 17, wild sci-fi satire from Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho

Robert Pattinson plays the titular Mickey, a loser sent into space, where he is cloned with hilarious results in this cult-novel adaptation.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Living the Land a captivating tale of upheaval in 1990s rural China

Non-professional actors and stunning camerawork lift this engrossing story of the drastic changes experienced in rural China.

Wang Shang (left) and Zhang Chuwen in a still from Living the Land, directed by Huo Meng and screened in competition at the 2025 Berlin Internaitonal Film Festival. Photo: Floating Light (Foshan) Film and Culture
European cinema

John Rabe, film with a Western angle on the Nanking massacre

The film tells the story of the Japanese massacre of Chinese civilians through the eyes of ‘good’ Nazi John Rabe.

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Ulrich Tukur plays the title role in the 2009 film John Rabe, which recounts the Nanking massacre from a Western standpoint. Photo: Handout
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | In fencing-themed drama Pierce, Liu Hsiu-fu and Tsao Yu-ning are brothers

Singaporean filmmaker Nelicia Low’s feature film debut has some visual flourishes but is let down by glaring weaknesses in its narrative.

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South Korea

Petition in South Korea demanding laws against celebrity bullying gains traction

Prompted by the death of K-drama star Kim Sae-Ron, the petition has garnered enough signatures to warrant a review by a committee.

Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Revelations: Ryu Jun-yeol leads Yeon Sang-ho’s disappointing Netflix thriller

A flimsy plot and sketchy logic spoil this story of a pastor and a detective who go after a recently released sex offender.

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Ryu Jun-yeol as Sung Min-chan in a still from Revelations. Photo: Cho Wonjin/Netflix
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Riley Ip’s 3 best Hong Kong films, with stars such as Shu Qi and Eric Tsang

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Riley Ip made films featuring stars such as Takeshi Kaneshiro and Anthony Wong. Here are the 3 best.

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Eric Tsang (centre) and Nicholas Tse in a still from Riley Ip’s 1999 film Metade Fumaca, one of five he made around the turn of the century.
K-drama news

Profile | Who is Park Bo-gum, IU’s co-star in Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines?

Park’s soft looks and easy smile made him popular, but it is his expressive performances and acting talent that have made him a star.

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | Fala Chen started out as a beauty queen. Now she’s a Hollywood star

From a chance pageant win to starring in international blockbusters, Fala Chen’s journey is a testament to her talent and determination.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | The Solitary Gourmet review: beloved Japanese TV food comedy hits cinemas

Directed by and starring Yutaka Matsushige, The Solitary Gourmet movie gives a warmhearted tour of traditional Japanese small-town cuisine.

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Yutaka Matsushige in a still from The Solitary Gourmet (Category I; Japanese).
Asia travel

Why is once sleepy Luang Prabang now on tourists’ radar?

A railway from China, an unlikely film festival and a new generation of entrepreneurs are shaking things up in Luang Prabang, northern Laos.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | True Love, for Once in My Life: self-indulgent Hong Kong romance

A self-financed autobiographical story, this film about a wife’s devotion to a love-cheat ex-husband is melodramatic and ill-judged.

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American cinema

Oscars 2025 as it happened: night of triumph for Sean Baker’s Anora

Sean Baker’s comedy-drama about a stripper takes the biggest award all after wins including best picture and best actress for Mikey Madison.

Sean Baker with his Oscar for best film editing for Anora. It was soon capped by his wins for best director and then best picture, taking his personal tally for the night to four. The film’s star, Mikey Madison, scored an upset best actress win. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | Sam Hui, the ‘father of Cantopop’ whose music and film roles struck a chord

He popularised Cantopop and helped revive Hong Kong cinema after Bruce Lee died. We look at the enduring legacy of the ‘Elvis of The Orient’.

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Sam Hui performs in Hong Kong in December 2007. Photo: SCMP
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | In Salli, a dating scam leads Esther Liu to find her worth

Lien Chien-hung’s film follows a lonely chicken farmer who embarks on a journey of self-discovery after being scammed on a dating app.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Little Red Sweet: Stephy Tang, Simon Yam in Hong Kong family drama

A family and their dessert shop are turned upside down by illness in a film that chooses nostalgia over substance.

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European cinema

How politics stop the Oscars celebrating the best of international cinema

When entries for the best international film Oscar are selected by government bodies, politics often rears its ugly head.

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Director Mohammad Rasoulof, whose film The Seed of the Sacred Fig wasn’t put forward for the Oscars by his country, Iran. Photo: AP
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

10 of the best movies from the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival

Sex, love, spies, fame, family, trauma and plenty of politics were on the menu at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival.

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Marion Cotillard in a still from The Ice Tower, screened at the Berlin International Film Festival. Photo: Handout
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Hong Kong cinema had a terrible time in the early 2000s. Here’s why

Hong Kong’s film industry suffered a huge slump from 2000-2009, but did the mainland Chinese market and China co-productions save it?

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Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | What Does that Nature Say to You: Hong Sang-soo finds humour in domesticity

Korean director’s film examines, with humour, the difficulties of artistic life through the lens of a man meeting his girlfriend’s family.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Johnnie To’s action thriller Vengeance hit all the right targets

Starring Johnny Hallyday, Anthony Wong, Lam Ka-tung and Lam Suet, the 2009 Hong Kong-France co-production brought the best out of both sides.

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Johnny Hallyday in a still from Vengeance (2009), a Hong Kong-France co-production directed by Johnnie To and also starring Anthony Wong, Lam Ka-tung, Lam Suet and Simon Yam.
Johnny Hallyday in a still from Vengeance (2009), a Hong Kong-France co-production directed by Johnnie To and also starring Anthony Wong, Lam Ka-tung, Lam Suet and Simon Yam.
K-drama news

Kim Sae-ron the latest in a long line of Korean stars bullied to death

Korean celebrities may be loved by their fans, but make one slip-up and the online abuse starts, often fuelled by mass media.

Chinese language cinema

Recap | The directors reshaping Asian cinema, from Jia Zhangke to Ray Yeung

Discover 5 directors shaping modern Asian cinema, covering LGBTQ representation, China’s rise, dystopian tales and untold war stories.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | The Way We Talk: Chung Suet-ying shines as a deaf woman finding herself

Chung Suet-ying delivers a powerful performance in Adam Wong’s The Way We Talk, which explores identity and deaf culture with great humanity.

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Neo Yau (left) and Chung Suet-ying in a still from The Way We Talk.