Cover Juno Mak in ‘Sons of the Neon Night’ (2025)
Juno Mak in ‘Sons of the Neon Night’ (2025)
1 / 1
Juno Mak’s ‘Sons of the Neon Night’ is the only Asian film to be shown at the Midnight Screening section of Cannes Film Festival. But there are other cinematic gems from the region worth keeping an eye out for
Asian movies have been making waves at Cannes for several years now. From Korean director Bong Joon-Ho’s psychological thriller Parasite, which shone at the festival in 2019, to Hong Kong filmmaker Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, which was shown at the Midnight Screening category last year, Asian films have been finally getting the recognition they deserve at the prestigious film festival. This year too, the filmmakers from the region have several strong entrants at the Cannes Film Festival, and we’re most excited for the following ones.
Also read: Squid Game season 3: Decoding the cryptic clues in the teaser of the final chapter
‘Sons of the Neon Night’ (Juno Mak)
Above Juno Mak, whose ‘Sons of the Neon Night’ is being screened at Cannes Film Festival, is our May cover star for Tatler Hong Kong
Juno Mak, whose ‘Sons of the Neon Night’ is being screened at Cannes Film Festival, is our May cover star for Tatler Hong Kong
1 / 1
After a series of scheduling delays due to Covid, Juno Mak makes his Cannes directorial debut with this high-budget crime thriller. The Hong Kong-born singer transitioned into the world of films through acting in the early 2000s and went on to direct the 2013 horror film Rigor Mortis. With a budget of HK$400 million, the movie takes place in a snow-covered Hong Kong in which the lead character’s father dies in a hospital explosion, setting a war on drugs in motion. The lead grapples with notions of good and evil as he attempts to rewrite his dark reputation entangled in the criminal world. It’s the only Asian film this year to be shown in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival.
Read our May cover interview with Mak here.
‘A Pale View of Hills’ (Ishikawa Kei)
Above A still from ‘A Pale View of Hills’ (Photo: IMDB)
A still from ‘A Pale View of Hills’ (Photo: IMDB)
1 / 1
Kei Ishikawa brings to life the first novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro; the film is the third of Ishiguro’s books to be adapted for the screen, joining The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. The story focuses on Japanese widow Etsuko, who is shown as living in England and navigating her experience of loss and war after leaving a shattered post-war Nagasaki. Ishiguro is an executive producer on the film and has publicly praised Ishikawa’s poignant screenplay. The piece will premiere in the Un Certain Regard section this week and is set for wider release in the summer, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
‘Homebound’ (Neeraj Ghaywan)
Above Bollywood actor Ishaan Khatter plays a lead role in ‘Homebound’
Bollywood actor Ishaan Khatter plays a lead role in ‘Homebound’
1 / 1
Ten years after his Cannes debut with the award-winning Masaan, filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan is returning to the French film festival. Homebound tells the story of childhood friends who pursue a police job that they believe will provide them with an essential sense of dignity and status. The narrative explores themes of friendship and survival, when the pair’s bond is threatened as they inevitably clash due to their own desperation. Martin Scorsese joined the movie as an executive producer and went on to say that Ghaywan had crafted a significant contribution to Indian cinema. The piece will premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.
‘Resurrection’ (Bi Gan)
Above Chinese star Jackson Yee stars in Bi Gan’s ‘Resurrection’
Chinese star Jackson Yee stars in Bi Gan’s ‘Resurrection’
1 / 1
Resurrection marks Gan’s first entry into the festival’s Official Competition, after his feature Long Day’s Journey into Night premiered in the Un Certain Regard section in 2018. The film is set in 2068 and follows the life of a woman who becomes trapped in a surreal state, in which she stumbles upon the remains of an android. After developing a connection with the android through storytelling, she must decide whether to return to the real world or stay with her newfound companion. The piece will premiere in the Official Competition and is set for wider release later this year by early 2026.
‘The Exit 8’ (Genki Kawamura)
Above Kazunari Ninomiya in ‘The Exit 8’
Kazunari Ninomiya in ‘The Exit 8’
1 / 1
Renowned Japanese filmmaker Genki Kawamura takes a step further into the world of psychological storytelling in his latest venture. The Exit 8 is a live-action adaptation of the 2023 horror game The Exit 8 by Kotake Create; the game features looping corridors and a series of subtle differences. The movie will continue with this story, in which a trapped man will have to navigate through what appears to be an endless tunnel in order to find ‘Exit 8’, and must return back to the beginning should he spot any anomalies. The surreal piece is highly anticipated by the game’s users looking forward to a new take on the game’s intense premise. The piece will premiere in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival and is set for wider release from August 29, 2025.
