We continue with our list of Asian feature films you shouldn’t miss at the Fantasia International Film Festival which will take place from July 20 – August 9, 2023 in Montreal, Canada.

To see the first part of this article please go HERE
You can also read about the short films we recommended HERE

The Yates are a nomadic, indigenous people, reindeer herders who have lived on the sparse and unforgiving Siberian tundra for countless generations. Krisha, a strong-willed and impetuous Yate girl, is quick to fight for her way in things, whether it’s with her troublesome little brother Kolya, or with the bullying Russian military officer Vladimir and his surly subordinate Bazak, a Yate hunter at odds with his own people. When the health of Krisha’s mother Shura takes a turn for the worse, the village shaman offers her wisdom—follow the North Star to the Ancient Forest and find its guardian and master, the great red bear of legend which has haunted Krisha with visions. (Fantasia 2023)

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Fans of cinematic chaos with little regard for political correctness, NEW NORMAL, directed and written by Jung Bum-shik, delivers a heavy dose of dark humour, gleeful gags that will raise more than a few eyebrows, and brutal, unpredictable murders, all with a strong flavour of unabashed cynicism. Six short, interrelated stories with multiple references to classic films unfold before one’s astonished eyes in a jubilant crescendo culminating in a hilarious finale, a kind of Machiavellian therapy for anyone who has ever worked in customer service and had their life ruined by annoying customers. Now let’s try to piece it all together into a more or less coherent narrative. (Fantasia 2023)

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The 1930s were truly a dark time in Korean history. During the Japanese colonization of Korea in 1933, anti-occupation groups have been resisting the oppression of the ruthless Imperial government. After a failed assassination attempt on the newly appointed governor-general, security chief Kaito leads an investigation to hunt down the “Phantom,” a spy who’s part of a resistance group called the Shadow Corps. Five people are suspected of possibly being the Phantom, and Kaito locks them inside a remote hotel. Under suspicion are former police officer Junji, now communications department director of the police bureau, secretary Yuriko, cryptologist Mr. Cheon, communications department official Park Cha-kyung, and Baek-ho, who’s part of the same division as Cha-kyung. Time is ticking away and there are listening devices in every room in the hotel. The suspects must prove their innocence and find out who’s the so-called Phantom among them. (Fantasia 2023)

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Joy (Max Eigenmann) is an undocumented Filipina immigrant living in London. She has a feisty daughter named Grace (Jaeden Paige Boadilla), whom she is determined to provide for, and the only work she can find within her situation is housecleaning. She’s saving to buy a visa to stay in England, but the road to the endgame is a long one since she must endure wealthy, white employers who are typically offensive with the usual affronts — insulting Joy’s intelligence, indulging blatant racism and casually exploiting her.

When a plum opportunity arises, she takes a chance and moves into a large estate owned by Mr. Garrett (David Hayman), an aging, wealthy man dying of cancer. He is cared for by his cold, condescending niece Katherine (Leanne Best), who leaves Joy to do her work while she travels for business. The only catch is that Joy must hide Grace from the strange duo but does so in the expansive home quite easily. What becomes difficult is keeping Grace under wraps since she’s a curious and rambunctious little girl who likes to play tricks on her mother. There’s also the fact that Mr. Garrett must stay in a heavily medicated, near-comatose state, and Joy soon discovers an incredible family secret that connects to her in an uncanny and horrific way. (Fantasia 2023)

It’s New Year’s Eve. Illuminated by a deluge of fireworks, a grieving Wu Jie (Janine Chang) sits alone in her car, holding a gun to her chin. But before she can bring herself to pull the trigger, a scream tears through the night… and her detective instinct kicks in. A woman has been murdered — her heart and a finger missing — and it’s soon discovered that she’s not the first, nor the last, of a string of foreign workers whose mutilated bodies are found in desolate places around the city. Driven by a dutiful urge to bring justice to those nameless women, Wu Jie chooses to push aside her own inner demons and sets off on the killer’s trail with the help of her newly appointed rookie partner (Chloe Xiang). Along the way, they meet You-Sheng (Ethan Juan), a man torn between the need to protect his job as an illicit employment broker and a desperation to find his missing girlfriend… Could he possibly be involved with the killings? (Fantasia 2023)

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All Ryota Miyagi ever wanted was to be a great basketball player like his older brother. He has loved the sport ever since he was a kid, and he’s now carrying on his brother’s legacy by playing for the Shohoku High School basketball team as their point guard. He may be small, but don’t let his size fool you — he’s full of speed and energy on the court. Filled with determination and passion, he and his team are ready to take on the challenge of the Inter-High School National Championship. To claim the highest victory in the tournament, they have to go up against the Sannoh Kogyo High School team, the current ruling champions. Basketball has always given them a sense of purpose, and they’ll do whatever it takes to win the game. (Fantasia 2023)

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Kyungsoo may be blind, but his skills as an acupuncturist have earned him an opportunity to serve at the Joseon royal court, a big step up for a mere commoner. His arrival there coincides with the return of Crown Prince Sohyeon after eight years as a hostage of the powerful Qing rulers in China, whose encroachment on its peninsular neighbour are a cause for worry. The heir to the throne, in poor health, and the sightless physician take a liking to one another, but elsewhere in the corridors of the palace, whispers carry the seeds of a political crisis. Matters escalate when the prince dies under suspicious circumstances. Kyungsoo, who perceives more than others might think, is witness to this dire event, and what he now knows puts his own life at terrible risk. (Fantasia 2023)

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The brawny yet sympathetic Sergeant Ma Seok-do (Don Lee, TRAIN TO BUSAN) is back with a vengeance, ready to let his fists remind the thugs who cross his path of every bad thing they’ve done since they were children. A double agent is shot dead during an undercover operation to blow the lid on the proliferation of a new drug that is ravaging local youth. Worse still, the man responsible is a crooked policeman aiming to rip off a yakuza gang for the benefit of Chinese interests with a large shipment… which he has stolen. The whole mess involves a lot of criminals to deal with, but the murder of a colleague and the chaos in motion make the case very motivating for Ma and his team. With a host of adversaries to contend with, including a Japanese assassin wielding a katana with surgical efficiency, our hero will be doing plenty of interior redecoration, using hapless gangsters! (Fantasia 2023)

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Ten years ago in Hong Kong! A local double homicide has been dominating the news for weeks. Young Henry Cheung and his buddy, Angus have murdered and dismembered his parents. Cheung has openly confessed after being exposed. But his accomplice’s involvement is much hazier. His mental state was taken advantage by the cops when they forced a confession out of him. Moreover, Cheung may have forced him into the crime. A motley team of jurors have been summoned to decide their fates, which is proving far trickier as anticipated due to the constant media attention. Now the facts are no longer proving to be as black and white as before, so how guilty are they? (Fantasia 2023)

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The first amongst her tight-knit group of friends to hit puberty, 12-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) can feel her body changing. In the small rural village in Malaysia where her life is structured around the strict rhythms of school and the rules of Muslim faith, this could become a problem… A terrifying problem. Soon, a panic spreads across town. A monster is rumoured to be roaming the woods. Zaffan, further ostracized by her peers for her nascent otherness, is pushed to the brink. She resorts to a radical solution: to accept the woman she is becoming and to embrace the animal within… and without. (Fantasia 2023)

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To see the first part of this article please go HERE
You can also read about the short films we recommended HERE

For more information, please visit: https://fantasiafestival.com/en/