Today I start my list featuring fifty remarkable Asian short films from 2023. Enjoy!

This curated list reflects a blend of films I personally enjoyed last year, acclaimed movies from Class A festivals, and noteworthy recommendations from 2023. I’ve also included some hidden cinematic gems from 2022 that I believe are worth mentioning. It’s important to note that the coverage of the AFF extends to festivals across East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. If you find this article engaging, feel free to share it with your friends. As always, thank you for your continued support. – Sebastián Nadilo

Note: This list may contain movies made by filmmakers with Asian ancestry.

27 by Erica Kwok Chung Yee – Hong Kong | 2022 – 29 minutes

Yumi, a young woman working at a record store, is on the verge of turning 27. As her birthday approaches, she is filled with apprehension due to the infamous ’27 Club’ associated with Kurt Cobain and the fate of other Western rock stars. This film explores the existential fears that young adults experience as they enter adulthood, portrayed through daydreams and imaginary live performances. Against the backdrop of a nostalgic vinyl record store, Yumi and her fellow staff members, along with the store owner and a variety of unique customers, take center stage. (Kim Song-hee)

Trailer:

A Long Alone by Yeo Eun-a – Korea | 2023 – 8 minutes

The record of discontinued time and place, from dying alone to discovery. One year period after a person’s solitary death is shown in time-lapse. Inside the house, there are traces of his fierce life, and the audience can guess his life by following the traces. The house stays at the time of his death. On the contrary, the exterior landscape constantly changes, giving a feeling of contrast to the house. A year later, his body is found, and the scene of his death is cleared by special cleaners. (BIFAN 2023)

Trailer:

A Night With Moosina by Tsai Shiu-cheng – Taiwan | 2022 – 25 minutes

After a classmate returns, disturbingly different, from a disappearance in the forest, it’s the turn of 10-year-old country girl Chun Mei to be lured to the mountainside lair of a malevolent spirit. Human relations with other creatures great and small inform this ghastly yet gorgeous new work from award-winning Taiwanese animator Tsai Shiu-Cheng (TIME OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS), adapting the writing of novelist Gan Yao Ming. – Rupert Bottenberg (Fantasia2023)

Trailer:

A Roadside Banquet by Peiqi Peng – USA | 2023 – 16 minutes

Mai, an 11-year-old girl, discovers after attending her baby brother’s first birthday party that her parents never really wanted a girl. The revelation prompts a surprising transformation. (NYAFF 2023)

Trailer:

All Tomorrow’s Parties by Zhang Dalei – China | 2023 – 24 minutes

China after the 1990 Asian Games. The receptionist distributes limited tickets for the movie screening in a factory while a shy poet waits for someone. A gently told, nostalgic portrait from a woman’s perspective. (Kaohsiung2023)

Trailer:

Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy by Khozy Rizal – Indonesia | 2023 – 15 minutes

Basri and Salma have been married for five years. Together, they run a small amusement ride for children. Their peaceful daily routines begin to reveal small cracks in their façade of happiness, which, in turn, reveals the true reason they do not have children of their own. (PARK Sungho | Busan2023)

Trailer:

Battery Mommy by Jeon Seungbae – Korea | 2023 – 9 minutes

Battery Mommy works at various stuffs such as soap bubble guns, cameras, and thermometers in the nursery. During the children’s nap time of one winter day, Battery Mommy finds out the Christmas tree in the nursery is on fire. At the moment, she urgently runs to the fire alarm to safely rescue the sleeping children… (Indie-AniFest 2023)

Trailer:

Brilliant A by YoungEun Kim – USA, Korea | 2022 – 16 minutes

Kim Young-eun’s music films possess an inherent experimental quality that defies easy categorization within traditional cinematic boundaries. However, it is crucial to prioritize a musical discussion over evaluating their experimental nature, as these films showcase the director’s professional expertise. This approach renders them particularly resonant for audiences deeply immersed in the realm of music. The film delves into the introduction of the piano to Samunjin in Daegu, exploring the historical debates surrounding standard musical notation. The imagery adeptly captures the piano’s journey, evoking a nostalgic sense of time travel to the early 20th century. (Lee Yongcheol)

Trailer:

Burger Song Challenge by Kim Min-ha – Korea | 2023 – 22 minutes

The poor class president, elected over a rich candidate, participates in the Burger Song Challenge, to buy burgers for classmates. (SIFF 2023)

Trailer:

Closing Dynasty by Lloyd Lee Choi – USA | 2023 – 17 minutes

To an adult onlooker she might seem lost among the towering New York skyscrapers, but seven-year-old Queenie has a clear goal: to get money. Hustling for donations, collecting bottles, impressing passers-by with her crafty salesmanship – she’ll do whatever it takes. Come evening, her mother asks if she worked hard at school. Through Queenie’s eyes, the world and her neighbourhood reveal a distinct truth, at odds with her parents’ well-meaning silence. (Berlinale 2023)

Trailer:

To access Part 2, please go HERE
To access Part 3, please go HERE
To access Part 4, please go HERE
To access Part 5, please go HERE