Asian Cinema

Carmen, the directorial debut by French dancer-choreographer Benjamin Millepied, is loosely inspired by George Bizet’s classic opera, but with entirely new music composed by Nicholas Britell. Melissa Barrera portrays the beautiful young woman whose escape from Mexico is aided by a former US Marine played by Paul Mescal.

The director and screenwriter of the highly acclaimed Kazakh drama Goliath, Adilkhan Yerzhanov, has been a two-time participant in the Cannes Film Festival's Official Program (The Owners, 2014, Official Selection, and The Gentle Indifference of the World, 2018, Un Certain Regard). He won an Asia Pacific Screen award in 2019 for Achievement in Directing for A Dark, Dark Man.

House of the Dragon The prequel to the fantasy-laden phenomenon is based on George R. R.

Many people, Americans in particular, have struggled with the more unsavory aspects of history. It’s one thing to absorb events in distant lands from hundreds or even thousands of years ago, and it’s another entirely to sit with the uncomfortable or shocking truths of more recent happenings, especially if they occurred where you live.

The recent box office success Godzilla vs. Kong encapsulates the vibrancy and prosperity of Hong Kong, a city that has been featured in Hollywood blockbusters such as Ghost in the Shell, Tomb Raider, Pacific Rim and many more.

In May 2019, Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage, embracing a world of non-binary and gender equality. Last year, director Patrick Liu’s Your Name Engraved Herein became the first LGBTQ-themed film to surpass NT$100 million in Taiwan’s domestic box office.

Munich-based Mongolian filmmaker Byambasuren Davaa’s documentary The Story of the Weeping Camel was an Oscar nominee in 2005. The film has a very rare theme.

In 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen’s mockumentary comedy film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was very well received, both critically and commercially. Cohen later won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

There are over 12 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. Films that center around the lives of OFW are usually tear-jerking dramas, such as Anak (2000), Ilo Ilo (2013) and Caregiver (2008), depicting the hardship and injustice OFW face while working abroad.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, China has surpassed the United States to become the world's biggest film box office for the first time. Producing over $460 million in ticket sales, the epic war movie The Eight Hundred is the year’s biggest-grossing movie in the country.