These are twelve Asian feature films you shouldn’t miss at the BFI London Film Festival which will take place from October 4 – 15, 2023 in London, UK.

Note: The list may include movies made by filmmakers with Asian ancestry.

ASOG by Seán Devlin – Philippines, Canada | 2023 – 101 minutes
Once a television comedian and schoolteacher, newly jobless typhoon survivor Jaya’s next steps are made clear by a Ms. Gay beauty pageant advertisement: ‘We’ll win for sure, look at these cheekbones’. Charting Jaya’s travels, Seán Devlin offers a fascinating portrait of Jaya’s worldview, alongside insights into governmental corruption in the aftermath of a natural catastrophe, illuminating an unbroken spirit of Filipino solidarity. – Matt Lulu (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi – Japan | 2023 – 106 minutes
A camping site development that’s under way in the peaceful village of Mizubiki will forever change the community and surrounding environment. The investors feel differently: ‘A little pollution won’t affect the water’. Driven by Hamaguchi’s sonorous and poetic script, his drama, a microcosm of wider concerns, burrows deep into the pressing issues of value and survival but never loses faith in humanity. – Hyun Jin Cho (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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If Only I Could Hibernate by Zoljargal Purevdash – Mongolia, France, Switzerland, Qatar | 2023 – 98 minutes
Left to fend for himself and his younger siblings amid the harsh Mongolian winter, gifted teenage student Ulzii becomes resolute in his desire to win a physics competition and its scholarship prize. From sweeping snow-capped landscapes to intricate domestic and school spaces, Purevdash’s film, heralding an important new voice in world cinema, uncovers contemporary Mongolian society with urgent detail and emphasises the invaluable impact of education. – Matt Lulu (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell by Thien An Pham – Vietnam, Singapore, France, Spain | 2023 – 178 minutes
Thien, a lost soul who transforms his life following the sudden passing of his sister, decides to reconnect with his long-lost family. While ostensibly dealing with the impact of death and the afterlife, the superbly composed longshots and elegant camera movements of Pham’s film thoroughly honour life on Earth. Pham’s illuminating work, produced in collaboration with amateur actors, fundamentally challenges the way we categorise films as either fiction or documentary. – Hyun Jin Cho (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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Monster by Hirokazu Kore-eda – Japan | 2023 – 126 minutes
Kore-eda (Shoplifters, Broker) returns with this sublime coming-of-age film that riffs on both the multi-perspectivist structure of Rashomon and the humanist spirit of Hayao Miyazaki. Whilst addressing serious societal matters such as school bullying, homophobia and intolerance, Monster is far from preachy. Exquisitely layered and deliberately mysterious, this is a film with sincerity, hope and a big heart. – Hyun Jin Cho (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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Only the River Flows by Shujun Wei – China | 2023 – 101 minutes
Ma, a dedicated police detective (and expectant father), is assigned to a small-town serial killer case. As the investigation progresses, he begins to lose his mind. Continuing Wei’s fascination with unattainable perfection, in this rich and labyrinthine narrative the more the case becomes opaque the deeper Ma delves into it. Along the way, the film reveals important truths about human behaviour and morality, while delicately employing surrealist moods and mise-en-scene. – Hyun Jin Cho (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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Perfect Days by Wim Wenders – Japan, Germany | 2023 – 123 minutes
Hirayama (a captivating performance by Yakusho, full of grace and dignity) lives a life of quiet routine. He goes to work, eats in the same cafe every day and buys second-hand books at the weekend. Wenders’ empathetic portrait gradually draws us into this world, one in which the tiniest details add to the richness of a simple and decent life. With a soundtrack featuring Lou Reed and Patti Smith, this is a gorgeous hymn to humanity and to finding meaning in the everyday. – Rowan Woods (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus by Neo Sora – Japan | 2023 – 103 minutes
Directed with intimacy by the musician’s son, who was committed to filming the music in and of itself, we hear and see every moment of Sakamoto as he revisits many of his most distinctive compositions, including a selection of beloved film soundtracks. Shot in immaculate black and white, and within the confines of a sparse recording studio, this film delivers a tangible sense of being present at Sakamoto’s last performance. – Hyun Jin Cho (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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Self-Portrait: 47 KM 2020 by Zhang Mengqi – China | 2023 – 190 minutes
As coronavirus begins to sweep the globe, Zhang returns to her father’s village with her camera, seeking to understand where the extraordinary phenomenon might sit in the grand palimpsest of China’s history. As with all of Zhang’s work, this is a committed, reflective, formally assured non-fiction film, grounded in collaboration and blessed with an uncanny sense of unhurried time. – Hyun Jin Cho (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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The Boy and the Heron by Hayao Miyazaki – Japan | 2023 – 124 minutes
A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki. – Tegan Vevers (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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Tiger Stripes by Amanda Nell Eu – Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, France, Germany, Netherlands, Indonesia, Qatar | 2023 – 95 minutes
12-year-old Zaffan is the school rebel. But her strict teachers have more than illicit TikToks to worry about when Zaffan’s body starts changing in unexpected ways. Sharply attuned to the complexities of female friendships and marrying cultural specificity with universal truths about growing up, this stylish, energetic film sits somewhere on the spectrum between Ginger Snaps and Uncle Boonmee… – Rowan Woods (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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Youth (Spring) by Wang Bing – France, Luxembourg, Netherlands | 2023 – 212 minutes
Zhili is the largest centre for children’s clothing production in China. We meet a group of young, exuberant and highly skilled garment-makers inside the cramped workshops where they live and work. Shot over a period of five years, Wang’s film is intimate and observational, striking a fine balance between respecting the integrity of each worker and evoking wider social issues of exploitation. – Hyun Jin Cho (BFI LondonFF 2023)

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For more information, please visit: https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/