If you’re a genre-lovin’ New Yorker, one of the most-anticipated events each year is the New York Asian Film Festival, which always showcases a number of intriguing genre flicks. This year’s edition, which runs June 25-July 8 and whose details were just announced, is no different.

Among the many dramas, comedies and, of course, action epics (among them the North American premiere of IP MAN 2, starring Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen, and the NYC premiere of Jackie Chan’s latest, LITTLE BIG SOLDIER) are the following horror and creature features:

ALIEN VS. NINJA (World premiere; pictured above): The first project from the new Nikkatsu genre banner Sushi Typhoon, Seiji Chiba and Yuji Shimomura’s film is just what the title suggests: a clash between a human-hunting extraterrestrial and a band of ninja warriors. Actor Masanori Mimoto will attend the first screening.

CHAW (North American premiere): Korea’s answer to RAZORBACK and PIG HUNT, the black-comic saga of a huge, flesheating pig on the rampage from director Shin Jeong-won.

CONFESSIONS (International premiere): Not exactly horror, but we’re hearing that Tetsuya Nakashima’s revenge thriller, centering on a schoolteacher who believes one of her students murdered her toddler daughter, is a dark and intense must-see.

DEATH KAPPA (World premiere): Tomoo Haraguchi, the monster FX veteran who also helmed SAKUYA: SLAYER OF DEMONS and the KIBAKICHI films, goes deliberately old-school with this yokai/kaiju feature, which we last covered here.

DOMAN SEMAN (World premiere) This psychedelic freakout by Go Shibata (who will appear in person) combines homeless-bashing pretty boys, occult conspiracies and rampaging zombies.

MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD (International premiere): Another self-descriptive Sushi Typhoon production, this marks the first collaboration between popular filmmaker/actor/action choreographer Tak Sakaguchi, TOKYO GORE POLICE’s Yoshihiro Nishimura and THE MACHINE GIRL’s Noboru Iguchi. The latter two will be present at the screenings—and if you were on hand for their appearances at last year’s fest, you know it’ll be a can’t-miss experience.

Speaking of which, anyone who values bizarre cinema must catch the head-spinning duo of Thailand’s new POWER KIDS and the low-budget 1985 U.S. production L.A. STREETFIGHTERS. New York Asian Film Festival screenings will take place at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater (65th Street near Amsterdam Avenue) for the entire duration, at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street) July 1-4 and at the IFC Center (323 6th Avenue) at midnight Friday-Saturday, June 25-26 and July 2-3. There’s lots more, so keep an eye on the festival’s official website for further details, and look for previews of DEATH KAPPA and the Sushi Typhoon flicks in Fango #295, on sale in June.

 

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