CinemAsia Film Festival 2026

From 8 to 12 April, the 18th CinemAsia Film Festival will take place in Amsterdam: the platform for Asian cinema in the Netherlands. With 44 films from Asia and the diaspora, screened at Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp and the Eye Filmmuseum, the festival offers a rich and up-to-date overview of both established makers and new talent. Half of the filmmakers are women, with a strong representation in the New Visions section for debut films.

The festival theme = Commons: what people share worldwide, from stories and memories to identity and community. Especially for those interested in China and the wider Chinese-speaking world, CinemAsia offers a unique opportunity to experience social and cultural developments through film.

Chinese-language highlights:
Closing film The Waves Will Carry Us (人生海海) by Lau Kek-Huat (Taiwan, 2025) with Q&A: After years in Taiwan, Ah Yao returns to Malaysia for his father’s funeral. His return degenerates into chaos and sets him and his brother and sister on a wild, absurd journey full of mourning, family tragedies and unexpected twists. With humor and emotional depth, the film traces a diasporic family history from migration from China to modern-day Malaysia.

The Horizons section brings Resurrection (狂野时代) by Bi Gan (China/France, 2025) a fascinating future in which dreams have been abandoned for immortality. Bel Ami (漂亮朋友) by Geng Jun subtly tells the story of a young man who struggles with loneliness, desire and societal expectations in a changing urban environment.
From Hong Kong come titles such as Papa (爸爸) by Philip Yung: a gripping drama about loss and guilt after a family tragedy, and The Way We Talk (看我今天怎麼說) by Adam Wong, which subtly asks questions about language, identity and communication within the deaf community. Tracy Choi’s Girlfriends (女孩不平凡) delves into a Hong Kong filmmaker’s struggle between dreams and reality.

The New Visions section presents Girl (女孩) by Shu Qi, a coming-of-age story set in Taiwan in the 1980s, and Family Matters (我家的事) by Pan Ke-Yin, a layered portrait of a family spanning multiple generations. Amoeba by Tan Siyou (with Q&A) investigates friendship and identity among young people in Singapore.

In the shorts programme: Reclaiming Dragons by Xiang Yu Yeung, in which a young woman balances between digital and physical realities, and Every Floor Looks the Same by Gladys Ng, a playful reflection on modern urban alienation.

Recommended:
The Cambodian opening film Becoming Human is a poetic drama about loss, transformation and connection. Director Poland Ly is present for Q&A.