Other outstanding Asian films that will showcase in the programme include, Derek TSANG’s Better Days, tackles thorny issues related to China’s education system and wider societal dysfunction. The film is Hong Kong’s first Oscar submission to be nominated for best international feature film since 1993. Introduction, shot in black and white, South Korean minimalist Hong Sang-soo’s fifth film to compete at the Berlin International Film Festival. Me and the Cult Leader, follows Tokyo subway gas attack victim and member of the cult responsible across the country, take a powerful journey into the painful past in this mesmerizing, achingly human Japanese documentary.

Septet: The Story of Hong Kong, the long-awaited omnibus film by seven of Hong Kong’s most revered auteurs – Sammo HUNG, Ann HUI, Patrick TAM, YUEN Wo Ping, Johnnie TO, the late Ringo LAM and TSUI Hark who come together to compose a symphony of stories about their city. Under the Open Sky, directed with sympathy by Nishikawa Miwa, leading actor Yakusho Koji delivers an enthralling turn as a middle-aged gangster trying to find his place in Japanese society after serving a long prison term for murder.