#Asian World Film Festival #Festival 2025 #Cinema Diversity

Asian World Film Festival 2025: A Celebration of Asian Cinema

The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) is gearing up for its 11th edition, scheduled to take place from November 11 to 20, 2025, at the historic Culver Theatre in Culver City, California. This year promises a thrilling lineup, featuring notable films from over 30 Asian countries, a testament to the festival's dedication to celebrating and promoting the diversity found within Asian cinema.

Punchy Programming

The festival organizers have curated an exciting program that includes more than 45 feature films, with 20 of them being official Oscar submissions for the Best International Feature Film category. Among the highlights are six world premieres, which include:

• - A Sad and Beautiful World (Lebanon)
• - Love and Karma (USA), directed by Ilara Venzara and Giovannie Espiritu
• - Doggy (Russia), directed by Slava Ross
• - Sisterhood (South Korea), directed by Yoon Eun-kyoung
• - Chronicles of the Forgotten Genocide—The Kissinger Doctrine (India), directed by Ramesh Sharma
• - The Favor (South Korea), directed by Shin Joo

In addition to these premieres, the festival will also showcase four U.S. premieres and a special North American premiere, enriching the cinematic mosaic that the AWFF aims to present to its audience.

Centerpiece Films and Jury Highlights

The festival will also host several centerpiece films, including “Palestine 36”, a historical drama directed by Annemarie Jacir, and “Left-Handed Girl”, a family drama directed by Shih-Ching Tsou. The closing night will feature the Oscar submission “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, while the opening film will be “No Other Choice” from South Korea, which is a black comedy/thriller directed by Park Chan-wook.

AWFF will also spotlight emerging filmmakers through its Asian Vision Program, which includes several unique titles aimed at celebrating innovative storytelling. For instance, Voice (Japan) and Evacuation (Kazakhstan) among others represent an exciting new wave of cinema, each presenting stories that weave together cultural narratives and artistic expressions.

A Commitment to Diversity