With the Taipei Cultural Center’s support, the New York Asian Film Festival is pleased to present a series of special screenings for fourteen Taiwanese films making their premiere from July 11-27. Six screenings will include a special presentation with talents from the film.
The 24th New York Asian Film Festival (NTAFF) opens on July 11, setting the stage for a vibrant celebration of Asian cinema. Held across three NYC venues—Film at Lincoln Center, SVA Theatre, and LOOK Cinemas W57, this year’s Taiwan Uncut section presents nine features, one documentary, and four short films, bringing wonder and new artistic visions to New York audiences.
Lisa Lu Plays Herself, directed by Chen Mei-Juin, is a documentary about the life and career of actress Lisa Lu. The beloved star of The Joy Luck Club and Crazy Rich Asians reflects on a groundbreaking career spanning seven decades. Lu herself will be honored with two awards at this year’s festival—the Trailblazer Award and the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award. This marks the first time in NTAFF history that both distinctions will be conferred upon a single individual, in recognition of a body of work that has left an indelible mark on the history of cinema, not only entertaining and inspiring audiences but also elevating the cultural and artistic profile of Asian cinema on the world stage.
Taiwanese star Vivian Sung will be in attendance with her latest Taiwanese-Korean co-production The Secret House. The film tells a story about a Korean family who moves to rural Taiwan seeking a fresh start after their father is imprisoned as a serial killer. Additionally, multiple Golden Horse Award-winning director Chung Mong-Hong is back with his seventh feature film The Embers, and Gorgeous, a Taiwanese comedy film, is returning to the big screen with 2K resolution restoration. Other Taiwanese highlights include Islanders, an upcoming Amazon Prime series making its exclusive, international big-screen debut, and Daughter’s Daughter, director Huang Xi's Golden Horse Award-winning triumph in which Sylvia Chang delivers a career-defining performance as a mother haunted by an unthinkable decision.
The Taiwan Uncut section is celebrating emerging talents with four new perspectives. Family Matters is a contemporary family drama that reveals every family has its share of problems to get over. The feature directorial debut of Pan Ke-Yin has been selected as one of the 2025 Uncaged Award nominees. Unexpected Courage, based on director Shawn Yu’s own experiences, is a story about a talent manager and her younger partner, who are forced to confront a potentially fatal situation. Lovesick, directed by Hsu Fu-Hsiang, tells the story of a high school student who fakes an illness to gain attention, only to discover a classmate with a real terminal illness. Lastly, Organ Child, a social realism film directed by Chieh Shueh-Bin, centers around the theme of organ trafficking. Each of the four special screenings will be accompanied by a Q&A session with talent from the film.
The Black Dog, Damp, Inspired by Lip Balm, and Stills Moving have all been selected for the 2025 NYAFF Shorts Program. This year’s NYAFF showcases more than 100 films with over 75 premieres—including eight world premieres—and 17 directorial debuts, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience the next wave of global cinema, months or even years ahead of wider release.
For more information, please visit: https://www.nyaff.org/
TAIWAN UNCUT
Gorgeous (2K Restoration)｜Director: Chang Mei-chun｜Mandarin, Taiwanese with English subtitles｜1985｜ 94 min｜International Premiere
Lovesick｜Director: Hsu Fu-Hsiang｜ Mandarin with English subtitles｜2025｜111 min｜North American Premiere｜Intro and Q&A with producer Lincoln Lai
Organ Child｜Director: Chieh Shueh Bin｜Mandarin with English subtitles｜2024｜110 min｜North American Premiere｜Intro and Q&A with director Chieh Shueh Bin
Daughter's Daughter｜Director: Huang Xi｜Mandarin and English with English subtitles｜2024｜126 min｜U.S. Premiere｜
Islanders Ep. 1-2｜Directors: Ler Jiyuan, Tsai Pao-chang｜Mandarin and English with English subtitles｜2025｜96 min｜International Premiere｜Intro and Q&A with series director Ler Jiyuan.
The Secret House｜Director: Park Sang-min｜Korean, Mandarin with English subtitles｜2025｜104 min｜North American Premiere｜Intro and Q&A with actress Vivian Sung and director Park Sang-min
The Embers｜Director: Chung Mong-hong｜Mandarin with English subtitles｜2024｜162 min.｜East Coast Premiere｜
Lisa Lu Plays Herself｜Director: Chen Mei-Juin｜Mandarin and English with English subtitles｜2025｜54 min.｜World Premiere｜Intro and Q&A with NYAFF 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award and Vanguard Award Recipient Lisa Lu and director Chen Mei-Juin
Family Matters｜Director: Pan Ke-Yin｜Min Nan, Mandarin with English Subtitles｜2025｜99 min.｜North American Premiere｜2025 NYAFF Uncaged Award Nominee. Intro and Q&A with director Pan Ke-Yin
Unexpected Courage｜Director: Shawn Yu｜Mandarin with English subtitles｜2025｜111 min.｜International Premiere｜Intro and Q&A with director Shawn Yu
Shorts Program
The Black Dog｜Director: YANG Ling｜Languages: Mandarin with English subtitles｜2024｜20 min｜North American Premiere｜
Damp｜Director: Etsen Chen｜ Mandarin, Thai with English Subtitles｜2024｜12 min｜World Premiere｜
Inspired by Lip Balm｜Director: Li-Ying CHIEN｜Mandarin Chinese with English Subtitles｜2025｜15 min｜North American Premiere｜
Stills Moving｜Director: Kevin Tsung-Hsuan Yeh｜Mandarin with English subtitles｜2024｜16 min.｜New York Premiere｜