Standout Screenings: Asian Films at the 78th Cannes Film Festival
The 78th Cannes Film Festival is ongoing from May 13 to 24, 2025, promising an exceptional showcase of films. This year, the renowned awarding body is shining the spotlight on a diverse array of movies from across the world, including entries from Asia that are making their mark on the international stage.
From poignant dramas to genre-defying thrillers, we’re listing down some of the standout films in the official lineup that highlight rich storytelling and cinematic innovation by Asian filmmakers.
Here’s a look at some of the most anticipated Asian films premiering at Cannes 2025.
Renoir (Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, France)
In Competition (Palme d’Or) | Coming-of-age, Drama
Directed and written by Chie Hayakawa, “Renoir” is a coming-of-age story set in 1980s Tokyo and is told through the point of view of 11-year-old Fuki (Yui Suzuki), who’s navigating her adolescence amid family struggles as she lives with her terminally ill father and a mother who’s constantly stressed due to work pressures and caring for her husband.
Often left to her own devices, Fuki retreats into an imaginary world where her curiosity for telepathy grows. This Japanese film was co-produced by studios in Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and France, and was Japan’s submission for the Oscars.
- Cast: Yui Suzuki, Hikari Ishida, Lily Franky
- Screening Dates: May 17, 18, and 20
- Running Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes
Magellan (Portugal, Philippines, Spain, France, Taiwan)
In Competition (Palme d’Or) | Historical Drama
Directed and written by award-winning director Lav Diaz, the film follows the story of how the Portuguese navigator Magellan rebels against the power of the King, who doesn’t support his dream of discovering the world. The film explores the truth of his journey as he becomes obsessed with conquest and conversion upon reaching the island of the Malayan Archipelago, as well as the hardships and difficulties he faced throughout the long, exhausting voyage.
Known as one of the members of the slow cinema movement, Lav Diaz has made some of the longest narrative films on record. “Magellan,” which had to be trimmed down for the competition, was originally nine hours long and was around eight years in the making.
- Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Dario Yazbek, Angela Ramos, Ronnie Lazaro as Raja Humabon, Hazel Orencio
- Screening Dates: May 18 and 19
- Running Time: 2 hours, 36 minutes
Sons of the Neon Night (Hong Kong)
Out of Competition (Midnight Screening) | Crime Thriller
Also known by its Chinese title, “Feng Lin Hou Shan,” this genre-defying crime thriller by director Juno Mak starts off with an explosion in Causeway Bay, which kills a wealthy Hong Kong businessman and sparks a war between drug traffickers and those who oppose them. The movie follows Lee Mo-tung (Takeshi Kaneshiro), the heir to a major financial company, who wants to get rid of his family’s dark legacy by declaring war on the drug trade. His actions, however, ignite chaos in the criminal underworld.
This is Juno Mak’s sophomore feature following his 2013 debut, “Rigor Mortis,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2013.
- Cast: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Sean Lau, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Louis Koo, Michelle Wai
- Screening Dates: May 16, 17, 18, and 20
- Running Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes
A Useful Ghost (Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany)
Critics’ Week | Dark Comedy, Fantasy
Written and directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, who is known to weave folklore into contemporary narratives, this film centers on Nat (Davika Hoorne), whose spirit returns after passing away from a respiratory illness. She possesses a vacuum cleaner to protect her husband from falling into the same fate when he begins to show symptoms. While her family copes with their unusual human-ghost relationship, Nat proves her worth by cleaning their factory — not just literally, but also spiritually as she cleanses the place of vengeful spirits.
This is Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s feature debut, and was co-produced by studios from France, Singapore, and Germany.
- Cast: Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon
- Screening Dates: May 17 and 18
- Running Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Agapito (Philippines)
In Competition (Short Films) | Science Fiction, Drama
“Agapito” follows the story of a bowling pin setter named Mira (Nour Hooshmand), whose days are spent resetting pins at a rundown bowling alley. She works this dangerous job in order to support her brother, Junior (André Miguel), who suffers from cerebral palsy and developmental delays.
The film is directed by Arvin Belarmino and Kyle Danelle Romero, and made history as the first project by a Filipina director selected in the short films category. In an interview with Rolling Stones Philippines, the directors described the film as a love letter to their families. Director Belarmino dedicated it to his brother, who also has special needs, while co-director Romero mentioned how her father had supported their family by working in a sports facility.
- Cast: Nour Hooshmand, André Miguel, Jeremy Calilung, Mark Emil Nolasco, Veronica Reyes, Bullet Dumas
- Screening Dates: May 24
- Running Time: 15 minutes
Resurrection (China)
In Competition (Palme d’Or) | Science Fiction, Drama
Known to create films with poetic storytelling and stunning visuals, renowned director Bi Gan weaves a sci-fi narrative in “Resurrection,” which follows the story of a woman lost in a world of in-between called the “eternal time zone” while undergoing a surgical procedure. In her dreams, she finds an android corpse whom she tries to awaken through stories.
This film is competing for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest prize, marking the director’s debut in the category following his romantic drama “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section in 2018.
- Cast: Jackson Yee, Shu Qi, Mark Chao, Li Gengxi, Huang Jue, Chen Yongzhong, Zhang Zhijian, Chloe Maayan, Yan Nan, Guo Mucheng
- Screening Dates: May 22 to 24
- Running Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
A Pale View of Hills (Japan and England)
Un Certain Regard | Historical drama
The film was adapted from the Nobel prize-winning novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro, and follows the story of a young writer named Niki (Fumi Nikaido) from London born to a Japanese mother and British father.
When her half-sister passes away, she reconnects with her estranged mother, Etsuko (Yo Yoshida), and uncovers her past as a survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bombing. The film is directed by Kei Ishikawa (“A Man” and “Listen to the Universe”) and takes viewers on a journey through post-war Nagasaki in the 1950s and 1980s England during the Cold War.
- Cast: Fumi Nikaido, Suzu Hirose, Yo Yoshida, Camilla Aiko, Kouhei Matsushita, Tomokazu Miura
- Screening Dates: May 15 to 17
- Running Time: 2 hours, 3 minutes
Exit 8 (Japan)
Out of Competition (Midnight Screening) | Psychological horror, Thriller
Directed by Genki Kawamura, the author who penned the Japanese bestseller “If Cats Disappeared from the World,” this video game adaptation is about navigating an endless underground.
The horror game puts players in a Japanese subway station where they’re tasked to find “Exit 8” without overlooking anything out of the ordinary. A single oversight can lead them back to the very beginning, trapping players in an endless corridor.
Yikes. Talk about being unable to get off a wild thrill ride!
- Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kôchi
- Screening Dates: May 18, 19, 21, and 23
- Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Love on Trial (Japan)
Out of Competition (Cannes Premiere) | Drama, Romance
This film, directed by Koj Fukada, shines the spotlight on Japan’s Idol Industry as it follows the story of a rising J-Pop idol named Mai (Kyoko Saito) who finds her career in jeopardy when she falls in love and violates the “no dating” clause in her contract.
“Living in Japan, you’re constantly exposed to idols: in films, on TV, in advertising,” director Koj Fukada said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “This project was born from my own discomfort and conflicted feelings toward idol culture, but my intention was not to totally deny or condemn it outright. I wanted to question the system, while not disregarding the efforts of young women who dream of becoming idols.”
- Cast: Kyoko Saito, Yuki Kura, Erika Karata, Kenjiro Tsuda
- Screening Dates: May 22 and 23
- Running Time: 2 hours, 4 minutes
It Was Just an Accident (Iran)
In Competition (Palme d’Or) | Action, Adventure, Crime
Another film in the competition roster is Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident,” which we don’t know much about and is only described by the logline: “What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences.” Apart from its secretive nature, the film seemed to be cloaked in controversy as it was also reported that the director, who was just recently released from prison, made the film without official filming permission from the Iranian authorities.
Jafar Panahi is considered of the most celebrated directors in Iran and has previously been recognized at Cannes, Venice, and Berlin for his notable works such as “The Circle” (2000), “Offside” (2006), “Taxi” (2015), and “No Bears” (2022).
- Cast: Majid Panahi, Ebrahim Azizi, Vahid Mobasseri
- Screening Dates: May 20 to 23
- Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Once Upon a Time in Gaza (Palestine)
Un Certain Regard | Drama, Comedy
This film centers on a young student named Yahya (Naber Abd Alhay) who befriends a restaurant owner, Osama (Majd Eid), and together they start selling illegal drugs while delivering falafel sandwiches. Their business takes a turn, however, when a police officer gets in their way.
Filmed by director duo Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser, this film explores Gaza’s social and political realities and will screen in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival.
- Cast: Naber Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
- Screening Dates: May 19, 20, and 21
- Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
To know more about this year’s Cannes entries, you can browse through the official list and screening schedule on their website or follow Cannes Film Festival on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
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