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The Asian Feature Film Competition presents nine new films by directors making their first to third features. This year, six of these are directorial debuts, marking an exciting new generation of filmmakers in Asia.

Featured Films

Convenience Store

An undocumented migrant mother suffers violence and abuse working in a Russian convenience store in this harrowing expose of modern-day slavery.

Michael BORODIN Russia, Slovenia, Turkey 106 mins NC16 (Violence) Southeast Asian Premiere

Autobiography

The relationship between an authoritarian father figure and a diffident young man forms a gripping study of power relations.

Makbul MUBARAK Indonesia, France, Germany, Poland, Singapore, Philippines, Qatar 115 mins PG13 (Some Coarse Language) Singapore Premiere

Leonor Will Never Die

A retired screenwriter becomes the heroine of her own unfinished script as reality and fiction collide in this genre-bending Filipino melodrama.

Martika Ramirez ESCOBAR Philippines 99 mins NC16 (Some Sexual Scenes and Violence) Singapore Premiere

The Cloud Messenger

A pair of teenagers at a regimented boarding school are predestined lovers in this coming-of-age story with a mythical twist.

Rahat MAHAJAN India 152 mins M18 (Nudity) Asian Premiere

Arnold Is a Model Student

Borrowing from Thailand’s Bad Student movement, this irreverent comedy is at once satire, a coming-of-age story, and manifesto for a frustrated generation.

Sorayos PRAPAPAN Thailand, Singapore, France, Netherlands, Philippines 85 mins PG13 (Some Mature Content) Singapore Premiere

Joyland

Vibrant, often hilarious yet emotionally powerful, this Pakistani family drama that questions gender and sexual norms is set to capture the hearts of many.

Saim SADIQ Pakistan 126 mins R21 (Mature Content) Southeast Asian Premiere

Summer with Hope

A mishap days before a swim meet threatens to quash a mother and son’s hope for liberty in this Kafkaesque modern tragedy.

Sadaf FOROUGHI Canada, Iran 100 mins PG Asian Premiere

Gaga

A warm indigenous family drama that gently crests and falls, like the seasons of their misty, mountainous homelands.

Laha MEBOW Taiwan 111 mins PG13 (Some Coarse Language) Southeast Asian Premiere

Archaeology of love

A powerfully restrained performance stands out in this study of a woman processing the complex emotions of grief in the aftermath of abuse.

LEE Wanmin South Korea 162 mins PG13 (Some Coarse Language and Scenes of Intimacy) International Premiere