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Asian cinema

Asian cinema
Views, news, and reviews of films from the continent's biggest movie production centres.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
Wanrong and Puyi, in Tianjin, circa 1925. Photo: Getty Images

Paul French lifts veil on final months of China’s last emperor in the Forbidden City

It is not the first biography of China’s Puyi, but Paul French’s latest book brings with it a feminine voice of modernity and fully exploits its place in the ‘doomed-monarchy’ sub-genre.

Reading Time:6 minutes
Theign Phan (left), executive chef of Grand Majestic Sichuan, and chef Palash Mitra, of Prince and the Peacock, in the latter’s Tai Kwun kitchen. Photo: Alexander Mak

From Delhi diplomacy to Hong Kong kitchens, food unites India and China

Reading Time:7 minutes
Matt Richardson, founder and managing director of Big Top Hospitality, spent two weeks in Dublin, Ireland, mastering the art of the perfect Guinness pour, ahead of the opening of The Boar. Photo: Alexander Mak

Exclusive: The Boar brings British pub vibes to Hong Kong’s Elgin Street

Reading Time:4 minutes
Nancy Kwan in 1969. Photo: SCMP Archives

Nancy Kwan’s enduring legacy – interview

Reading Time:8 minutes
The Charles K. Kao Auditorium, affectionately known as the “Golden Egg”, is the architectural centrepiece of the Hong Kong Science Park, in the New Territories. Photo: courtesy HKSTP

Hong Kong Science Park: Asia’s tech powerhouse celebrates 25 years

Reading Time:10 minutes
John Yiu, an art historian and the deputy director of the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole academic research and cultural centre, at the University of Hong Kong, with his guqin. Photo: Alexander Mak

Hong Kong’s guqin revival bridges ancient philosophy and modern passions

Reading Time:6 minutes
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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
90-year-old Wuxia master Wu Bin, in Wan Chai. 17AUG26 SCMP/Jonathan Wong
Wellness

He trained Jet Li. Wu Bin, 89, shares his secrets to great health in old age

Martial arts legend Wu Bin talks about mentoring Jet Li and other wushu stars, and how building good habits is key to health in older life.

European cinema

Best movies from the 2026 Venice Film Festival, including Possible Love and Musk

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Film reviews

Review | Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors: Lav Diaz’s gruelling colonial epic

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K-drama news

Profile | Who is Nana, star of Netflix K-dramas The Scandal and Mask Girl?

Nana’s rise in the industry has been a journey of talent, resilience and reinvention, going from singer and model to bona fide actress.

Mask Girl NANA as Kim Mo-Mi in Mask Girl Cr. Jun Hea-sun/Netflix © 2023
On Our Radar

HKLGFF: 37 years of queer cinema, from Leslie Cheung to RuPaul

Asia’s longest-running international LGBTQ film festival invites Hong Kong audiences on an emotional, cinematic ride, with a revamped programming featuring six distinct ‘moods’.

Film reviews

Review | A Bit of Light: Iranian drama about Tehran doctor strikes melancholic chord

Ali Asgari’s Tehran-set drama about an aggrieved doctor who decides to end it all as war looms is well acted but never fully bursts into life.

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Hong Kong society

‘Rest in eternal peace’: veteran horror actor, filmmaker Simon Loui dies at age 62

Long-time friend, fellow actor Frankie Ng reveals to reporters on Friday that Loui lost his battle with gastric cancer earlier this week.

Veteran entertainer Simon Loui (centre) appeared in nearly 100 films over the course of his career. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Cantopop lyricist Wyman Wong became a cultural force in Hong Kong

Songwriter for the stars, fashion journalist, LGBTQ activist – Wong’s impact on modern Hong Kong culture cannot be overstated.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

On This Day | Deanie Ip scores first best actress win for Hong Kong in Venice – SCMP archive

Ip’s portrayal of an ageing domestic servant in Ann Hui’s film won her the prestigious Volpi Cup, the first for a Hongkonger.

Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Once Upon a Time in the Middle East: Shen Teng leads anti-war blockbuster

Full of roaring action and heart-wrenching tension, this mainland China hit delivers a message of peace through Chinese cooking appreciation.

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Shen Teng in a still from Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (category IIB; Chinese, English, Arabic), directed by Wen Muye. Jiang Qiming and Omar Sherif co-star.
Asian cinema: Korean films

The making of Na Hong-jin’s sci-fi spectacle Hope, most expensive Korean film

The director talks about tension, timelines, sequel potential and a clash of tastes at Cannes as Hope gears up for US and Hong Kong releases.

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Hwang Jung-min (front) and Jung Ho-yeon on the set of Hope.
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Arrested Memory: Ethan Ruan leads Sabu’s muddled police thriller

Ethan Ruan plays a detective with memory issues investigating a kidnapping case in this action-packed if confused police procedural.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Look Back: Hirokazu Koreeda explores childhood manga dreams

A deep, intense friendship between two schoolgirls is explored in Hirokazu Koreeda’s adaptation of a manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto.

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Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Possible Love: Burning director Lee Chang-dong back with another masterpiece

Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong play a rich couple opposite Sul Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon’s have-nots in Lee’s sharp critique of Korean society.

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Jeon Do-yeon as Mi-ok in a still from Possible Love. Photo: Netflix.
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? is a striking portrait of Vietnam war trauma

The Vietnam war drama, in competition at the Venice Film Festival, explores trauma, redemption through a US Marine’s true-life journey.

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Rodney Hicks in a still from Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?, directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. Geoffrey Rush, Mark Merphy and Tatyana Ali co-star.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

The wild days of Hong Kong’s Category III era: when sex and gore went mainstream

The adults-only, Category III rating was introduced in 1988, making stars of actresses including Shu Qi and Amy Yip.

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | The Last Song You Left Behind: Japanese teen romance plays a familiar tune

Shunsuke Michieda and Meru Nukumi star as classmates who slowly develop feelings for each other over an unusual musical collaboration.

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US-China relations

Can Chinese sleeper hit Dear You conquer the US box office next?

After grossing nearly US$300 million in mainland China, its North American release will test its popularity beyond Chinese-speaking diaspora.

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A still from Dear You, the hit Chinese film shot in southern Teochew dialect. Photo: Handout
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | I Know Who You Are: Hu Ge leads Chinese spy drama that falters at the finish

Feng Xiaogang’s drama set during the early years of the People’s Republic of China entertains but is let down by an unsatisfying ending.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Man, 87, arrested after gravestone of film star Linda Lin Dai found vandalised

Marble altar at Lin’s Happy Valley grave found covered in cement, with police saying cemetery staff reported suspected vandalism.

American cinema

Desk job to Jackie Chan stunts: martial artist Alfred Hsing’s rise in film

After leaving a financial career, the wushu champion became a fight coordinator, stuntman and actor working with some of film’s top stars.

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Martial arts choreographer, actor and stuntman Alfred Hsing (left) worked as a member of Jackie Chan’s stunt team on the 2015 historical epic Dragon Blade. The California-raised wushu expert has also shared the screen with some of the world’s biggest movie stars, from Michelle Yeoh to Jet Li. Photo: Courtesy of Alfred Hsing
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Josie Ho rejected her billionaire heiress destiny for indie filmmaking

Macau casino magnate Stanley Ho’s eighth child has built her own legacy as a musician, award-winning actress and movie producer.

Josie Ho attends the New York Asian Film Festival 2022, at Walter Reade Theatre, in New York, on July 16, 2022. Rather than following in the footsteps of her casino magnate father Stanley Ho, she has forged her own path in music and film, winning awards along the way. Photo: Getty Images for Josie Ho
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Wakesurf Lovers: Jeffrey Ngai, Renci Yeung make a splash in uneven sports drama

Full of beautiful bodies but paper-thin characters, Fung Chih-chiang’s film about wakesurfing and cybershaming drifts nowhere in particular.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

The Chinese Mulholland Drive? Why ‘so bad it’s good’ film Niu Lai is special

Initially mocked, the low-budget film by a first-time animator and his mum is now being hailed as a bastion of hard work and free expression.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Ronny Yu and Jet Li made Fearless (2006) a martial arts masterpiece

Director Ronny Yu put Jet Li’s martial arts skills and acting chops to good use in this classic, blending superb fights and a human story.

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Jet Li in a still from Fearless, the acclaimed 2006 martial arts film directed by Ronny Yu. Photo: SCMP
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | A Mighty Adventure: wordless animation by McDull director is breezy if flawed

Hong Kong director Toe Yuen’s film about insects surviving the city is a visual marvel, though dialogue would have made it more expressive.

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A still from A Mighty Adventure.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | The Dating Menu: a drifter chef looks to connect in wistful romantic drama

Lo Chun-yip plays a chef who tries out a dating app and cooks for four very different women as he tries to get over a previous relationship.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How ‘Siuyea’ Lo Chun-yip shed his indie director mindset to become a leading man

The ‘late bloomer’, who switched directing for acting in 2015, takes on his first main lead role with new film The Dating Menu.

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