While major Hollywood movies keep delaying their premiere dates and theaters in many parts of the world remain closed, Asian cinema has recently been showing its resilience with new and upcoming releases.
Whether it's a blockbuster hit starring A-listers or a small-budgeted festival darling, here are three Asian movies reviving the world cinema.
#ALIVE (South Korea)
Currently the number one movie in the country, #ALIVE has been called the very thing that brings Korean cinema back from the death. Coincidentally, #ALIVE is a movie about the dead coming back to life.
Perhaps it's the star factor (the cast includes Yoo Ah-in of Burning fame and top actress Park Shin-hye) or perhaps it's the relatable plot (the main characters struggle to survive the zombie pandemic without the help of social media). Either way, #ALIVE has everything needed to pull the audience back to the theaters.
With more than one million admissions already, the success of the film offers a hopeful future for the cinema.
iWeirdo (Taiwan)
With Italy being one of the worst-hit nation for COVID-19 in Europe, this year's Far East Film Festival (FEFF), which usually takes place in Udine, had to move online on the MyMovies streaming platform from June 26 to July 4.
Selected as the opening film is iWeirdo by newcomer Liao Ming-Yi. Shot entirely on iPhone XS, the film captured the audience through its relevant storyline as it follows the relationship between a boy with OCD and a germaphobic girl.
At the end of the festival, the film managed to bag the third-place trophy and was awarded the online audience prize by the users of MyMovies.
Aya and the Witch (Japan)
The world settles into the new normal, and so does Studio Ghibli. Originally scheduled to make its premiere at the now-cancelled Cannes Film Festival, Aya and the Witch is Studio Ghibli's first fully CGI feature.
Directed by co-founder Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro, the film follows an orphaned little girl who is adopted by a witch and is based on Earwig and the Witch, a novel by British writer Diana Wynne Jones.
The film won't be released until later this year in Japan, but it has created controversies already, especially among fans who choose Studio Ghibli's more traditional animation style. We know for sure, though, that, whether they're up for it or against it, fans would catch the film the second it drops.
