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Cinema

Cinema
Views, news, and reviews of films, from the latest releases to classic oldies.
Hong Kong Comic Con 2026 will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai from May 29 to 31. Photo: Hong Kong Comic Con 2026
What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, May 29-31

See Mads Mikkelsen and other stars at Hong Kong Comic Con 2026, indulge in a two-day wellness retreat, watch top cabaret shows and more.

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American cinema

Review | Backrooms: A24’s liminal space horror is a stunning, disorienting debut

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India

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

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Fame and celebrity

Hans Zimmer just scored Euphoria Season 3: here’s what to know about him

The award-winning composer, who scored over 100 films and won his first Oscar with The Lion King in 1995, replaced Labrinth this season.

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Hans Zimmer, pictured at the fourth annual Academy Museum Gala in 2024, stepped in to score Euphoria’s latest season after Labrinth’s exit. Photo: @hanszimmer/Instagram
France

Louvre heist to be turned into film

The daring robbery sent shock waves around the world, and the stolen jewels – worth around US$100 million – remain unrecovered.

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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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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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China’s film industry

Editorial | Indie hit Dear You shows the power of storytelling over big budgets

The surprise hit, filmed on a shoestring budget and shot entirely in a southern dialect, has resonated strongly with audiences.

A poster for Dear You, an independent film set in Chaoshan, Guangdong province, which has become an unexpected box office hit in China. Photo: Handout
Cannes Film Festival

‘Fjord’ by Romania’s Mungiu wins Palme d’Or at Cannes

The film stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a couple who have their children taken from them by child services for spanking them.

Director Cristian Mungiu, Palme d’Or award winner for the film “Fjord”, poses after the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
European cinema

Review | The Voice of Hind Rajab: harrowing Gaza docudrama is vital cinema

Kaouther Ben Hania’s gripping docudrama about a young girl trapped in a car uses real voice recordings to help expose the brutal cost of war.

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Cannes Film Festival

The stand-out looks at Cannes – from Demi Moore to Daisy Edgar-Jones

Kristen Stewart sneaked trainers under her Chanel gown, Sharon Stone stunned in Miss Sohee and Garatti, and Cate Blanchett turned heads in Givenchy.

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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(From left) Yuriko Yoshitaka, Masahiro Motoki and Ryota Miyadate in a still from The Samurai and the Prisoner.
American cinema

Review | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu plays like an extended TV episode

Star Wars fans may find The Mandalorian and Grogu an entertaining watch but it lacks real depth and feels more like a TV episode than a film.

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The Mandalorian (left, played by Pedro Pascal) and Grogu in a still from Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (category IIA), directed by Jon Favreau. Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White co-star. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd
European cinema

Review | Bitter Christmas: Pedro Almodovar engrosses with his latest meta movie

A film within a film within a film, Bitter Christmas examines the relationship between life and cinema.

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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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European cinema

Review | Fjord: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve anchor ice-cold child welfare drama

Fjord, set in a remote Norwegian village with stunning backdrops, explores a religious couple’s clash with Norway’s Child Protection Services.

Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan play a married couple with five children in the film Fjord, directed by Cristian Mungiu. Jonathan Ciprian Breazu (far left) and Vanessa Ceban (right) co-star.
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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American cinema

Review | Paper Tiger: Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson lead dark gangster movie

Director James Gray returns to his mob roots in this film about two brothers who fall foul of the Russian mafia in New York. Also stars Miles Teller.

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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Simon Yam (left) and Sandra Ng in a still from Echoes of the Rainbow (2010).
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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(From left) Daigo Yamamoto, Rimu Kuwaki and Haruka Ayase in a still from Sheep in the Box.
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.

China’s film industry

How a tiny indie movie sparked a major tourist boom in southern China

Made on a shoestring budget, the hit drama Dear You has triggered a surge of interest in the history of southern China’s Teochew diaspora.

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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Jun Ji-hyun as biotech professor Kwon Se-jeong in a still from Colony (category IIB, Korean), directed by Yeon Sang-ho. Koo Kyo-hwan and Ji Chang-wook co-star.
Fame and celebrity

Travolta gets surprise Cannes prize: ‘beyond the Oscar’

The Hollywood star received an honorary Palme d’Or, as he premiered his first film as a director.

John Travolta holds his honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes on Friday. Photo: AP
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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Asian 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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