New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF)

Overview

The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is North America's leading festival of Asian cinema. The 25th edition runs from July 10 to 26, 2026, across five New York venues: Film at Lincoln Center, SVA Theatre, IFC Center, Anthology Film Archives, and the Korean Cultural Center New York. The 2026 lineup includes 69 feature films and 26 short films, with 49 screenings at Film at Lincoln Center alone. Called "the best film festival in New York" by The Village Voice and "arguably the world's best-curated program of new and classic Asian cinema" by IndieWire, NYAFF programs the full spectrum of Asian cinema - from mainstream blockbusters and genre films to art house eccentricities and cult classics.

NYAFF 2026 is a landmark anniversary edition. The festival was the first North American film festival to champion the works of Johnnie To, Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike, and other auteurs who later became central to international cinema. Notable past guests include Lee Byung-hun, Ryoo Seung-wan, Masami Nagasawa, Sammo Hung, Lee Jung-jae, and Jackie Chan. Since 2010, NYAFF has been produced in collaboration with Film at Lincoln Center.

For Asian and Asian diasporic filmmakers, NYAFF accepts open submissions via FilmFreeway for both short films (39 minutes or less) and, new in 2026, feature-length films (40 minutes or more). Submission fees range from $25 (early bird, short film, general) to $60 (late deadline, feature film, general), with discounted student rates available. The festival gives priority to films with the most exceptional premiere status, though all premiere statuses are eligible.

Key Sections

• Uncaged Award Competition - 8 feature films competing for the Best Feature Film award, dedicated to bold new voices and filmmakers pushing cinema in unexpected directions; the winner is announced at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on July 26
• Feature Film Program - 69 features spanning mainstream blockbusters, art house cinema, genre films, and cult classics from across Asia
• Shorts Programs - 26 short films across 4 programs, including a dedicated Korean Shorts showcase; featuring world, international, North American, and New York premieres
• Spotlight on Vietnam - new in 2026, a sidebar program focusing on Vietnamese cinema
• Queer Unbound - returning sidebar program for LGBTQ+ Asian cinema
• Horrorscope - returning sidebar for genre and horror films
• Secret Screening - a popular surprise screening at Anthology Film Archives
• 25th Anniversary Rediscoveries - classic and cult titles from 2001, including 4K restorations of My Sassy Girl and Shaolin Soccer, and a restoration of cult Hong Kong film You Shoot I Shoot with dir. Pang Ho-cheung in attendance
• Night Market - the festival's signature Opening Night event at Furman Gallery, with live performance by AAPI Jazz, food and drinks from Asian brands and local vendors; $25 general public, $20 for FLC and NYAFF Members

Submission Details

Submission platform: FilmFreeway. Visit filmfreeway.com/NYAFF.

Entry fees and deadlines:

Notification date: Mid-June 2026

Eligibility:

• Films must be directed or principally acted by a person of Asian or Asian diasporic descent, or contain subject matter relating to Asian or Asian diasporic cultures or communities
• Films must have been completed on or after January 1, 2025
• No work-in-progress submissions will be considered
• Short films: 39 minutes or less; Feature films: 40 minutes or more
• Films in any language are accepted, but non-English dialogue must be subtitled in English
• All premiere statuses are eligible, though priority is given to films with the most exceptional premiere status
• Films previously submitted to NYAFF will not be considered
• Submission fees are non-refundable under any circumstances

Major Awards

• Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film - the festival's signature competition prize, awarded at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on July 26; 2026 nominees include 8 films from Taiwan, Japan, Macao, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan
• Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award - 2026 recipient: Joan Chen, honoring a career from The Last Emperor and Twin Peaks to recent features Didi and Montreal, My Beautiful
• Extraordinary Star Asia Award - 2026 recipient: Gianna Jun (Korea)
• Best from the East Award - 2026 recipient: Daniel Wu (Hong Kong)
• Screen International Rising Star Awards - 2026 recipients: Angela Yeun (Hong Kong) and Sara Minami (Japan)

2026 Uncaged Award Nominees

The 2026 Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film Competition features 8 nominees:

• A Dance with Rainbows - dir. Lee Yi-shan, Taiwan
• Deep Quiet Room - dir. Shen Ko-shang, Taiwan
• Fujiko - dir. Taichi Kimura, Japan
• Girlfriends - dir. Tracy Choi, Macao/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Thailand
• Hallan - dir. Ha Myung-mi, South Korea
• Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts - dir. Wang Tong, China
• Dog Day Evening - dir. Mak Tin Shu, Hong Kong
• Turgaud - dir. Adilkhan Yerzhanov, Kazakhstan

Past Winners

2024 Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film

• *Snow in Midsummer - dir. Chong Keat Aun (Malaysia/Taiwan/Singapore). The jury cited its "rich, layered, and emotionally complex portrayal of a largely forgotten injustice." The film became the first Malaysian release about the May 13, 1969 riots. It won numerous prizes on the international festival circuit and went on commercial release in Malaysia, where it faced heavy censorship. A special jury award went to Women from Rote Island* (dir. Jeremias Nyangoen, Indonesia).

The 2024 Audience Award went to *How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies* (dir. Pat Boonnitipat, Thailand). The film became the highest-grossing Thai film of 2024 in Thailand and Singapore, and the biggest Asian film of all time in Indonesia. Netflix acquired the film for global streaming.

2023 Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film

• *Abang Adik* - dir. Jin Ong (Malaysia). The directorial debut feature follows two undocumented orphaned brothers in Malaysia. It became the first Malaysian film to win the top prize at Udine's Far East Film Festival. The film earned 18 wins and 25 nominations total, with a worldwide box office of approximately $1.36 million. Netflix distributed the film internationally.

2022 Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film

• *The Sales Girl - dir. Janchivdorj Sengedorj (Mongolia). A special mention for Technical Achievement went to One and Four* (dir. Jigme Trinley, China/Tibet).

Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up

NYAFF's most significant industry impact comes from its early championing of directors who later became central to international cinema. The festival programmed these filmmakers years before they reached wide acclaim.

• Bong Joon Ho - NYAFF programmed The Host early in the director's career, years before Parasite won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020. NYAFF was among the first North American festivals to screen Bong's work.
• Park Chan-wook - Joint Security Area screened at NYAFF a year before Oldboy reached US audiences. Oldboy later screened at NYAFF with star Choi Min-sik in attendance. Park went on to win the Grand Prix at Cannes for Oldboy in 2004 and the Best Director prize at Cannes for Decision to Leave in 2022.
• Johnnie To - NYAFF programmed Exiled and Sparrow among other titles. To's films helped define the Hong Kong action genre that NYAFF built its identity around.
• Takashi Miike - NYAFF programmed Miike's work, including the world premiere of Ninja Kids!!! in 2011. Miike became one of Japan's most prolific and internationally recognized genre directors.
• *Infernal Affairs (2002, Hong Kong) - Screened at NYAFF in 2004, months before its limited US theatrical release. Martin Scorsese's remake The Departed* won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2007.
• *Snow in Midsummer* (2024 Uncaged winner) - Won the NYAFF top prize and went on to commercial release in Malaysia despite censorship challenges. The film also screened at Venice Days.
• *How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies* (2024 Audience Award) - Became the highest-grossing Thai film of 2024 across multiple Asian territories. Netflix acquired it for global distribution.
• *Abang Adik* (2023 Uncaged winner) - Earned $1.36 million worldwide and 18 total awards. Netflix distributed internationally. Lead actor Wu Kang-ren won Best Actor at the Golden Horse Awards.

Submission Tips Specific to This Festival

Understand what NYAFF actually programs. This festival programs the full spectrum of Asian cinema, from Hong Kong action and Korean horror to Japanese anime and prestige art films. Do not assume your genre film is less competitive than an art house drama. NYAFF programs genre cinema with the same seriousness. A Korean horror film or a Hong Kong action film has equal standing with a slow-burn Taiwanese drama.

The eligibility requirement is specific. Films must be directed or principally acted by a person of Asian or Asian diasporic descent, or contain subject matter relating to Asian or Asian diasporic cultures or communities. This is broader than requiring an Asian director. A non-Asian director making a film about Asian communities could qualify, as could a film with Asian lead actors regardless of director's background.

Premiere status matters but is not disqualifying. All premiere statuses are eligible, but priority goes to films with the most exceptional premiere status. A world premiere has an advantage over a New York premiere. However, NYAFF also programs films that have already screened at other festivals. The 2026 lineup includes films from Cannes, Sundance, Venice, and TIFF.

2026 introduces feature-length submissions for the first time. Previously, only short films could be submitted through FilmFreeway. Features were programmed through curatorial relationships. The new feature category opens the festival to independent Asian and Asian diasporic filmmakers who previously had no formal submission path. If you have a feature, this is your first chance to submit directly.

Do not resubmit. Films previously submitted to NYAFF will not be considered. If your film was rejected, you cannot resubmit it the following year. Make sure your film is ready before submitting.

Complete films only. No work-in-progress submissions are considered. Have a finished cut ready with English subtitles if the dialogue is not in English.

Industry Reputation Notes

The Village Voice called NYAFF "the best film festival in New York." IndieWire described it as "arguably the world's best-curated program of new and classic Asian cinema." These are not generic festival plaudits. They reflect NYAFF's specific position in the ecosystem.

NYAFF's primary peer comparison is with the New York Film Festival (NYFF), also presented at Film at Lincoln Center. NYFF programs prestige art cinema and awards contenders. NYAFF programs the full spectrum of Asian cinema, including genre films that NYFF would never screen. This is a deliberate philosophical choice rooted in the founders' belief that other New York festivals presented too narrow a slice of Asian cinema, focusing on internationally acclaimed art films while ignoring popular genre traditions.

Compared to Udine's Far East Film Festival in Italy, which is Europe's leading Asian cinema festival, NYAFF serves the North American market. Both festivals program genre and popular cinema alongside art house work. NYAFF's 25-year track record of early championing gives it credibility that newer festivals cannot match. The festival programmed Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Johnnie To, and Takashi Miike years before they became staples of the international circuit.

The 2026 edition's 69 features and 26 shorts across 5 venues over 17 days represents the festival's most expansive edition. More than 50 filmmakers from across Asia attend for post-screening Q&As, giving the festival an unusually high ratio of director-to-screening engagement compared to similarly sized festivals.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The 2026 edition introduces a feature-length submission category for the first time. Previously, NYAFF only accepted short film submissions through FilmFreeway, with features programmed through curatorial relationships. The addition of a feature category opens the festival to independent Asian and Asian diasporic filmmakers who previously had no formal submission path.

The festival's 2026 opening night film is Yeon Sang-ho's Colony, fresh from its Cannes premiere and box office success in South Korea. Yeon will attend to introduce the film, and the festival will also screen a 4K version of his 2016 horror Train to Busan, plus Seoul Station and Peninsula. Other 2026 highlights include The King's Warden (South Korea's highest-grossing local film of all time), Cold War 1994 (one of the most expensive Hong Kong productions in recent memory, with Daniel Wu returning to Hong Kong cinema after a six-year absence), and Filipiavana (Sundance award-winner by Filipino filmmaker Rafael Manuel).

Two of the 2026 venues are homecomings. Anthology Film Archives is where the festival began in 2002, hosting screenings July 16-18. IFC Center was the festival's home for four formative editions, hosting screenings July 13, 15, 16, and 22. The Korean Cultural Center New York is a newer partner venue. Screenings at Film at Lincoln Center run July 10-23.

More than 50 filmmakers from across Asia are scheduled to attend the 2026 edition for post-screening Q&As and special appearances. This level of filmmaker attendance gives the festival an unusually high ratio of director-to-screening engagement.

The festival's programming identity is deliberately broad. NYAFF programs Hong Kong action, Korean horror, Thai comedy, Japanese anime, and genre cinema alongside prestige art films. This is a deliberate choice rooted in the founders' belief that other New York festivals presented too narrow a slice of Asian cinema, focusing on internationally acclaimed art films while ignoring the popular genre traditions that are central to Asian cinema culture. For genre filmmakers, this makes NYAFF one of the few major US festivals where a Hong Kong action film or a Korean horror film is programmed with the same seriousness as an art house drama.

Festival History

NYAFF was founded in 2002 by a group of Asian cinema enthusiasts and critics who wanted to program the full spectrum of Asian popular cinema for New York audiences. The festival began at Anthology Film Archives, a venue it returns to for the 25th edition. In its early years, NYAFF was a grassroots operation built by passionate fans.

The festival grew through the 2000s as Asian cinema's international profile expanded. NYAFF was among the first North American festivals to program Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Johnnie To, and Takashi Miike, years before these directors became staples of the international festival circuit. The festival's willingness to program genre cinema alongside art house work gave it a distinctive identity and a dedicated community of genre fans.

In 2010, NYAFF began its collaboration with Film at Lincoln Center, which provided larger venues and institutional support while maintaining the festival's independent programming identity. The partnership has continued through 2026.

The 25th edition in 2026 marks the festival's most expansive edition to date, with 69 features and 26 shorts across 5 venues over 17 days. The festival is presented by Film at Lincoln Center and the New York Asian Film Foundation.

Watch: Trailers and Interviews

See Also

For Asian cinema and international markets, see International Film Markets. For genre filmmaking, see Independent Filmmaking. For festival submission strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate your festival submission budget across multiple festivals, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator.