LEAFF 2025
Programme announcement
The London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) — the capital’s premier celebration of East Asian cinema and culture — proudly marks its 10th anniversary this year, returning from 23 October to 2 November 2025. Opening night will light up the iconic ODEON Luxe Leicester Square with a spectacular presentation of John Woo’s Hard Boiled (1992, Hong Kong), starring Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, newly restored in 4K. The festival will close with the highly anticipated UK premiere of Kokuho, directed by Lee Sang-il (2025, Japan), bringing an unforgettable finale to this milestone edition.
This special anniversary programme celebrates a decade of bridging cultures through cinema, showcasing outstanding new voices and visionary masters from across Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. LEAFF invites audiences to reflect on the region’s cinematic heritage while exploring the future of storytelling through bold, thought-provoking narratives.
With over 30 UK and international premieres, this year’s festival presents recent award-winning releases at top-quality venues including the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square, and revisits pivotal works of the past at the London Cinema Museum. Audiences can expect an unparalleled big-screen experience enhanced by Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, honouring East Asia’s cinematic legacy while looking toward the future.
GALAS
The Special Gala will feature the international premiere of The People Upstairs, directed by and starring acclaimed actor-filmmaker Ha Jung-woo. This sharply observed chamber drama comedy begins with a seemingly trivial late-night noise complaint and unfolds into a witty, tension-filled dinner where two married couples confront hidden resentments and unexpected truths. Following its debut at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, Ha Jung-woo will travel to London to present the film and engage audiences in an exclusive post-screening Q&A.
In our Spotlight Gala, we are proud to present Samsara, a haunting and visually poetic Indonesian drama by acclaimed director Garin Nugroho. Set in 1930s Bali, it follows a humble man whose desperate bid to win his beloved’s wealthy family leads him into a dark pact with the Monkey King — unleashing tragedy on those he loves. The director will join the audience for a Q&A, providing insight into the immersive cinematic journey blending myth, ritual and human longing.
LEAFF’S OFFICIAL SELECTION
The LEAFF Official Selection presents an extraordinary lineup of cinematic excellence — from festival sensations to daring arthouse works, celebrating the depth and range of contemporary East Asian cinema.
We are honoured to welcome back visionary Hong Kong director Yonfan with a rare double bill. Praying Mantis, co-directed with Joe Hsieh, is an 18-minute animated noir that follows a mutant praying mantis luring men along neon-lit streets in a desperate bid to save her child, only to uncover long-buried secrets. It screens alongside Yonfan’s reflective documentary Crossing Years, a meditative journey through memory and the passage of time that reveals his personal, cinematic world.
Behind the Shadows, a stylish Hong Kong noir starring Louis Koo will be shown as a UK premiere with the directors Jonathan Li (Dust to Dust) and Chou Man-yu attending for a Q&A after the screening.
From Japan, Naomi Kawase returns with the UK premiere of Yakushima’s Illusion. Set against the mist-shrouded landscapes of Yakushima Island, the film follows Corry, a French paediatric transplant coordinator navigating the ethical and cultural weight of organ donation in Japan. When her partner Jin disappears, Corry is forced into a deeply personal reckoning that blurs myth, grief, and healing — an intimate, visually poetic exploration of love and absence.
China’s offering, The Sun Rises on Us All by Cai Shangjun, recently premiered in the main competition at the Venice International Film Festival, where lead actress Xin Zhilei won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. The film reunites former lovers Baoshu and Meiyun years after a tragedy that defined their past, unearthing hidden truths as they navigate the shifting light and shadows of memory.
Other highlights from this year’s LEAFF Official Selection include Green Wave, a sharp and witty comedy from China; and 96 Minutes, a taut Taiwanese drama featuring rising star Austin Lin. Also featured are The Ugly, the latest work from acclaimed director Yeon Sang-ho, and Family Matters, a tender exploration of love and generational bonds.
MASTERS OF CINEMA
In the strand Masters of Cinema, LEAFF celebrates the artistry and craft behind iconic films. The programme opens with a special screening of Bong Joon-ho’s acclaimed thriller Memories of Murder (2003), followed by an in-depth conversation with its celebrated cinematographer Kim Hyung-koo, offering rare insight into his visual storytelling and long-time collaboration with Bong.
Continuing this exploration of cinematic craft, we present the epic war drama Taegukgi: Brotherhood of War (2004) — one of Korea’s highest-grossing and most beloved films — followed by a talk with award-winning production designer Shin Bo-kyeong, renowned not only for her evocative work on Taegukgi but also for shaping the richly detailed worlds of global projects including Apple TV+’s Pachinko (2022).
STORIES OF WOMEN
Stories of Women celebrates female-centered narratives across borders and generations, portraying resilience, identity, and change. This year’s line-up includes Project Y, a gripping noir by Lee Hwan about two women bound only to each other, whose desperate theft of hidden cash and gold to escape poverty spirals into betrayal and survival. The First Summer by Heo Ga-young, winner of the First Prize in Cannes’ La Cinef, follows a woman in her seventies torn between mourning her late lover and attending her granddaughter’s wedding, quietly exploring love, grief, and personal choice.
From Taiwan, Girl by Shu Qi captures the raw vulnerability and resilience of young womanhood in a society caught between modern desire and traditional expectation. From Malaysia, Pavane for an Infant by Chong Keat Aun confronts reproductive justice and cultural stigma through interwoven stories of women connected to baby hatch facilities. From Thailand, Human Resources by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit offers an intimate portrait of Fren, an HR officer facing an unjust workplace and an unplanned pregnancy — weighing the cost of raising a child in an unforgiving world.
TIMELESS CLASSICS
Highlights from this strand include the newly restored 4K edition of Johnnie To’s iconic urban noir PTU (2003). A masterclass in tension and style, the film follows a single, nerve-wracking night in Hong Kong’s underworld and features powerhouse performances from legendary stars Simon Yam, Lam Suet, and Maggie Shiu. With its razor-sharp cinematography and brooding atmosphere, this restoration invites audiences to experience one of Hong Kong cinema’s most acclaimed modern thrillers as never before.
In collaboration with the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, LEAFF proudly presents a trio of newly restored Taiwanese cinematic treasures — Lonely Seventeen (1967), Good bye! Darling (1970), and The Story of a Small Town (1979). Together, these films trace Taiwan’s shifting cultural landscape across decades: from Lonely Seventeen’s coming-of-age portrait of youthful longing and rebellion, to Goodbye, Darling’s bittersweet exploration of love and moral compromise, and The Story of a Small Town’s tender reflection on family, resilience, and community. Restored to their original brilliance, these works illuminate the emotional depth and evolving identity of Taiwanese cinema.
From the Korean Film Archive, LEAFF presents three newly restored post-war masterpieces — The Widow (1955), Madame Freedom (1956), and A Flower in Hell (1958). Curated by Kim Hong-jun, these works offer a rare lens into the rapidly changing social fabric of Korea in the 1950s, a decade marked by the aftermath of the Korean War and a surge of urban modernity. Through complex female protagonists, they explore shifting gender roles, class mobility, and the evolving ideals of love and independence, while capturing vivid details of everyday Korean life and aspirations at a time of profound transformation.
FUTURE FRAMES: AI
Launching this year, LEAFF’s new AI Cinema strand opens with Run to the West, directed by Kang Yun-sung — Korea’s first AI-produced feature film. This high-octane action thriller follows souls trapped between the living world and the afterlife, pursued by relentless grim reapers intent on erasing their existence.
In partnership with the Korean Academy of Film Arts, LEAFF also presents a curated selection of pioneering AI-generated shorts that explore the intersection of technology and creativity. In a special collaborative showcase with MBC, the Jeju AI International Film Festival, and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), audiences will experience an additional lineup of AI-generated short films. Filmmaker Zo Fan will attend the screenings to share insights into their process and engage in conversation with the audience.
COMPETITION
From this year’s Competition strand, eight titles have been chosen, spotlighting filmmakers who have directed four feature films or fewer. The LEAFF Committee will select the winner, to be announced during the Closing Gala.
96 Minutes — Dir. Hung Tzu-Hsuan
Behind the Shadows — Dirs. Jonathan Li, Chow Man-yu
Family Matters — Dir. Pan Ke-Yin
Girl — Dir. Shu Qi
Green Wave — Dir. Lei Xu
Pavane for an Infant — Dir. Chong Keat Aun
Project Y — Dir. Lee Hwan
The People Upstairs — Dir. Ha Jung-woo
#LEAFF2025 #LEAfilmfest