Lav Diaz / Masters / Philippines / 2016 / Drama / 228 mins
A woman is released from prison after serving 30 years for a crime she did not commit. Now released, she wanders through a small town with a detachment that could imply either spiritual peace or the patient calculations of vengeance. Lav Diaz’s Venice-winner is a brutally quiet epic of redemption.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa / Masters / Japan / 2016 / Thriller / 130 mins
A disgraced Japanese detective tries to forget his traumatic past by changing professions, but an unsolved cold case that may involve his suspicious next-door neighbor pulls him back into the cop game. Kiyoshi Kurosawa's gripping, macabre serial killer yarn lives up to its title and then some.
Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami / Asia Pop! / Germany, Iran, Switzerland / 2015 / Documentary / 90 mins
An Afghan teen living in Iran, Sonita’s the popular kid in school, but her parents want to cut her childhood short by marrying her off. But Sonita has plans of her own: becoming a rapper who speaks out against the oppression of women.
Actor, legend, and longtime Akira Kurosawa collaborator Toshiro Mifune is perhaps Japanese cinema’s best-known international star. Oscar-winning director Steven Okazaki pays tribute to Mifune’s craft and legacy in this documentary, as much a portrait of an artist as it is a history of one of Japan’s major contributions to world cinema: the samurai film.
Hur Jin-ho / Asia Pop! / South Korea / 2016 / Drama, History, Romance / 127 mins
At age 13, Princess Deok-hye of Korea was sent to Japan where she was given a colonial education, but where she also befriended Korean independence fighters. Son Ye-jin shines in the role of a lifetime, portraying nationalism as an emotional wellspring in the face of turbulent historical change.
Eduardo Roy, Jr. / Discoveries / Philippines / 2016 / Drama / 107 mins
New baby in tow, teenage parents Jane and Aries slash the streets, swiping cell phones and valuables from passerby to feed their love and their addictions. But when their most precious possession is stolen, they're plunged even deeper into the reality of the city.
Pimpaka Towira / Discoveries / Thailand / 2016 / Drama / 105 mins
Laila, her brother, and his friend set out from Bangkok to one of the southernmost provinces of Thailand to visit her aunt. Their road trip reveals a psychic unease about what’s going on in their country, which director Pimpaka Towira plays eerily to a surprising and shimmering finale.
Shakun Batra / Asia Pop! / India / 2016 / Comedy, Drama / 132 mins
Estranged brothers set jealousy and resentment aside when they move back home after grandpa’s heart attack. But it just wouldn’t be the Kapoor family without secrets and lies. KAPOOR & SONS is a festive, doggedly emotional celebration of family working through misunderstanding and meeting each other where they least expect.
Hirokazu Kore-eda / Masters / Japan / 2016 / Comedy, Drama / 117 mins
A novelist temps as an infidelity detective, partly for research, but mostly to pay alimony so he can see the young son who no longer lives with him. With a typhoon incoming, his hope for reconciliation blows harder than ever. Kore-eda directs a bruised heart with a light and utterly charming touch.
Graffiti writers Estria Miyashiro and John “Prime” Hina join forces in this colorful documentary about the Hawaiian youth art program Mele Murals, through which they teach kids to explore their creative side, and end up with lessons about identity, art, and selfhood of their own.