These are our ten recommended films from the CinemAsia Film Festival, which is taking place from March 5 – 10, 2024 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

A Song Sung Blue by Geng Zihan – China | 2023 – 92 minutes

During one ordinary summer, Xian, a shy 15-year-old, is sent to live with her estranged father in his quirky photo studio while her mother goes abroad for work. There, she meets Mingmei, her father’s free-spirited and rebellious stepdaughter. Despite their opposite personalities, an unlikely relationship grows between them as they explore their lives and desires under the restless summer sun.

With its gentle and dynamic portrayal of two young women on the cusp of adulthood, A Song Sung Blue has captivated audiences for its singular vision of coming of age. Director GENG Zihan, for whom this is only a first feature, focuses her camera on gestures, expressions, and the way a lingering touch speaks louder than words. (CinemAsia 2024)

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Ajoomma by He Shuming – Singapore, Korea | 2022 – 90 minutes

A middle-aged Singaporean widow obsessed with Korean soap operas has dreamt of visiting South Korea for a very long time. When she finally embarks on a trip to Seoul, an unexpected twist will force her to navigate unfamiliar streets on a journey of literal and personal discovery.

No film will make you smile and go “aww” as much as Ajoomma, the feature debut of director HE Shuming. The film is as much a portrait of a mother in her life after motherhood as it is a story of growth for all those around her, a cast of friendly strangers who are navigating their roles as parent and child. (CinemAsia 2024)

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Andragogy by Wregas Bhanuteja – Indonesia | 2023 – 110 minutes

Prani, a middle-aged school teacher, is best known for her ethics and unique disciplinary methods. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she loses her temper after someone cuts her in line at a famous putu cake stall. Her angry confrontation is filmed, recontextualised, and misinterpreted online, and unleashes a wave of criticism and trolls, threatening her prospects of securing the vice-principal position she aspired to. Prani and her family desperately try to set the record straight, but the journey becomes a frustrating quest to prove her innocence and gain support from those who once supported her. (CinemAsia 2024)

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City of Wind by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir – France, Mongolia, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar | 2023 – 104 minutes

Ze is a 17-year-old shaman navigating between many roles. In his community, he performs the traditional duties of communicating with ancestral spirits, while at school he is a top-scoring student whose peers are only interested in everyday gossip. The balance in his life starts to tip when he meets 16-year-old Maralaa at one of his shamanic ceremonies. Awakened to his emotional and bodily desires, Ze embarks on a profound journey of self-discovery.

Director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s feature debut is a coming-of-age story rich in visual composition and narrative warmth. Delicate beams of light paint a Mongolia that is facing as many transformations and uncertainties as Ze himself, portrayed by first-time actor Tergel Bold-Erdene, whose performance earned him the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor at Venice. (CinemAsia 2024)

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Guián by Nicole Chi Amén – Costa Rica | 2023 – 75 minutes

Throughout her life, filmmaker Nicole CHI AMÉN was unable to communicate with her grandmother, Guián, in words. Her grandmother never learned Spanish, and she never learned Chinese. Upon Guián’s passing, Nicole picks up her camera to visit the people who knew Guián and travels to Guián’s hometown in China. Her images compose a love letter to the grandmother she knew and an imagined conversation with the grandmother she did not. (CinemAsia 2024)

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In Broad Daylight by Lawrence Kan – Hong Kong | 2023 – 106 minutes

How far would you go for the truth? Investigative journalist Kay goes undercover after receiving a tip about abuse in a home for the disabled. As she digs for the truth, extensive cover-ups and systemic failures are unravelled, taking Kay on an endless search for the truth, even when the journey leads to unintended consequences.

Based on a true story from 2016 that shocked Hong Kong, In Broad Daylight tells a story of justice from multiple angles. There is a story of dignity and rights for the disabled, a story of institutional flaws when it comes to care for the marginalised, and a story of journalistic integrity in an increasingly fractured world. Director Lawrence KAN draws these threads together in one compact narrative, led by a Golden Horse-nominated performance by Jennifer YU, whose no-nonsense demeanour glimmers with compassion and an unyielding devotion to the truth. (CinemAsia 2024)

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Life Unrehearsed by Banpark Jieun – Germany, Korea | 2022 – 80 minutes

Over three decades ago, Korean migrant nurses LEE Soo-hyun and KIM In-sun met at a Korean Christian Women’s Association retreat in Germany and fell in love. Now in their seventies, their youthful love remains unchanged, despite the challenges and difficulties of living in a foreign country. (CinemAsia 2024)

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Remembering Every Night by Kiyohara Yui – Japan | 2022 – 116 minutes

The film slowly begins in a small kitchen located in Tama New Town, a planned city on the outskirts of Tokyo opened in the 1970s. The sidewalks, gardens, cafes, and parks now appear aged and neglected, mirroring the nostalgia of its older residents who once knew all the neighbours around them. For Chizu, however, Tama New Town is a place in which she easily gets lost, where things all seem to look the same. (CinemAsia 2024)

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September 1923 by Mori Tatsuya – Japan | 2023 – 137 minutes

Amid the chaos and devastating aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake, false rumours led to the mass killing of Koreans in Japan. When 15 Japanese peddlers arrived in a small village speaking their own dialect, a case of mistaken identity resulted in over 100 villagers brutally attacking them and killing nine. This dark piece of Japanese history is known as the Fukuda Village Incident. (CinemAsia 2024)

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The Missing by Carl Joseph E. Papa – Philippines | 2023 – 90 minutes

Shy and slightly withdrawn, Eric lives a normal life working as an animator in the city. What makes Eric different is that he does not have a mouth and is unable to speak. One day, his mother asks him to check on his estranged uncle, only for the reluctant Eric to find out that his uncle has been dead for a few days. This confronting revelation sparks visions of a familiar yet sinister alien who threatens to take him away. (CinemAsia 2024)

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More information: https://cinemasia.nl/en/