Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In will close out the 23rd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF, July 12-28) while Hong Kong actor Tai Bo is set to receive the Star Asia lifetime achievement award.
Tai is best known for 2019Twilight’s Kiss which earned him a Hong Kong film award and a Golden Horse nomination. He won a Golden Horse supporting actor award for 2000’s The Cabbie while his work in 1984’s Gung Buk was also critically well received. Tai’s other credits include Police Story, Back Home and, most recently, Berlin 2024 title All Shall Be Well.
The actor will be present at the festival to receive his award.
Walled In makes its North American premiere at NYAFF after world premiering in Cannes last month and opening in several territories. The action-thriller follows a troubled youth who accidentally enters the dangerous Walled City.
First titles
The festival also unveiled the first 40 titles in the line-up, four of which are world premieres. From Hong Kong, Chow Kam Wing’s For Alice and Yuen Kim-Wai’s martial arts feature Inexternal while South Korea brings the world premiere of The Killers from Lee Myung-Se, Chang Hang-jun, Kim Jong-kwan and Roh Deok; and Thailand debuts Kongkiat Komesiri’s action horror Operation Undead.
Elsewhere, the line-up features a ‘filmmaker in focus’ programme highlighting the work of Hong Kong director Ray Yeung, from his 2015 hit Front Cover to recent Berlin award-winner All Shall Be Well.
There will also be a Spotlight programme for Josie Ho’s Hong Kong outfit 852 Films, where the producer and actor will introduce and re-introduce several of her features including Shugo Fuji’s Onpaku and Jannell Schirtcliff’s 2021 debut Habit.
The competition line-up is expected to be announced next week.
As previously announced, Korean drama Victory is opening NYAFF where lead actress Lee Hye-ri will be honoured with the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award.
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