THE NEW ASIAN CINEMA

CASA ASIA has selected eight films for the upcoming months’ Asian cinema program, covering a vast geography that allows us to travel freely through moving images. The stories presented connect cultures and communities, reinforcing their respective identities. The journey begins in India and extends through China, Iran, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and Uzbekistan, before reaching Australia. The program is designed so that viewers can reconstruct the mosaic of scenes that this cinema offers. 

All the films showcased were produced between 2022 and 2024, making this a collection of recent cinemas that bring us into contact with a distant reality while simultaneously being close and highly relevant. 

The program begins with Sherni by Indian director Amit Masurkar, followed by Voices in Deep by Australian director Jason Raftopoulos, The Rehearsal (Uzbekistan) by director Khusnora Rozmatova, Saatao (Bangladesh) by Khandaker Sumon, Gone with the Boat (China) by Xiaoyu Che, When This Is All Over (Philippines) by Kevin Mayuga, Waltz for Three (Iran) by Arman Zarrinkoub, and finally, The Land Where the Winds Stood Still (Kazakhstan) by Ardak Amirkulov. 

PROGRAM

Saturday, March 1st, 2025 

With the presence of the director, who will present his film 

Sherni | Amit Masurkar | India | 2021 | 131’ | VOSE | Drama

A disillusioned forest officer leads a team of trackers to capture a “man-eating” tigress on the outskirts of the jungle. In her mission, she faces political, local, bureaucratic, and personal obstacles, which become even more complicated due to the presence of a politically connected hunter who manipulates villagers for his own benefit. 

Dir. Amit Masurkar is an Indian director and screenwriter. He dropped out of engineering studies at the Manipal Institute of Technology at age 20 to pursue cinema. Later, he earned a degree in History from the University of Mumbai. He directed Sulemani Keeda and Newton, which was selected as Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. Newton also received the Best Screenplay Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 

Saturday, March 8th, 2025 

In celebration of International Women’s Day 

The Rehearsal | K. Rozmatova | Uzbekistan | 2023 | 102′ | VOSE | Drama

Orzu, a theater actress unable to balance her career with caring for her sister with functional diversity, decides to send her to a boarding school for children in similar situations. The film uses metatheatre to parallel the play in which Orzu performs, exploring human decay and spiritual pursuit. Initially fully devoted to her role, this experience leads her to a new understanding of art and truth in the world. Inspired, Orzu redirects her life toward a humanitarian cause, finding in the orphanage where her sister resides the perfect place to start her new mission: healing the world’s broken hearts. 

Dir. Khusnora Rozmatova, a filmmaker from Uzbekistan, has received international recognition, winning the For Humanism award at the 19th Kazan International Muslim Film Festival. In recent years, Uzbek cinema has gained unprecedented visibility, not only due to its industry boom but also through international awards highlighting its new appeal. In 2023, Uzbek filmmakers received 15 international awards, showcasing the country’s growing influence in global cinema. 

Saturday, March 29th, 2025 

Voices in Deep | Jason Raftopoulos | Australia | 2023 | 95’ | VOSE | Drama

Fleeing war, orphaned brothers Tarek and Zaeed depend on each other to survive their struggles. Unable to secure public housing, Tarek is forced into prostitution under his abusive pimp, Masi. Amidst this misery, the murder of a local refugee becomes a turning point. Zaeed, the younger brother, desperately wants to escape. Meanwhile, Bobby, an Australian volunteer dedicated to helping refugees, hides in a motel, emotionally paralyzed by her past traumas. Before returning to Australia, she must illegally sell the seafood she has collected, an underground market activity that complicates her relationship with the sea and dangerously revives memories. 

Dir. Jason Raftopoulos is a Greek-Australian director, screenwriter, and producer. He studied film directing at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne and has been awarded at various festivals throughout his career. His documentary, From Dope to Dalai Lama won Best Short Documentary at the Inside Film Awards in 2010. Raftopoulos adapted his short film Father’s Day into West of Sunshine, which premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival (Orrizonti Section) in 2017 and was nominated for the Lion of the Future Best Debut Film and Best Film awards. In 2018, he won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Film for West of Sunshine at the Festival des Antipodes in Saint-Tropez and the Best Director award at the Barcelona International Film Festival. Voices in Deep premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival and competed at the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival. 

Saturday, April 5th, 2025 

Saatao | Khandaker Sumon | Bangladesh | 2023 | 97’ | VOSE | Drama

The story follows Fazlu, a farmer who gifts his wife, Putul, a cow to keep her company and ease her loneliness at home after their marriage. As Putul adjusts to her new life, the couple faces hardships due to the environmental impact of dams on the Teesta River. These dams hold water during the dry season and release it during monsoons, causing floods that severely affect farmers and their communities. The film highlights the universal struggles of farmers and marginalized women, emphasizing their resilience in the face of adversity. 

Dir. Khandaker Sumon, born on February 2, 1982, in Gaibandha, Bangladesh, is a prominent filmmaker and director. He began his artistic career at the Gaibandha Theatre, where he discovered his passion for the performing arts. To refine his skills, Sumon took a course at the Bangladesh Film Institute under the mentorship of renowned filmmaker Tanvir Mokammel. 

He directs the production company Idea Exchange, through which he has created various socially conscious advertisements. Among his works as a director are the short film Pounopunik – The Hamster Wheel Rebellion and the feature film Memories of Gloomy Monsoons (2023), also known as Saatao, which has been acclaimed for its subtle political commentary and poetic style. 

Saturday, April 12th, 2025 

Gone with the Boat | Xiaoyu Che | China | 2023 | 99’ | VOSE | Drama

When Jin, a retired mother from a small town, is diagnosed with a brain tumor, her two children react in very different ways. Her daughter Jenny, the director of an English training center in Shanghai and struggling in her second marriage, insists on finding the best treatment for their mother. However, Qing, Jenny’s younger brother, who works as a tour guide, believes that a fatal outcome is inevitable. 

Jin spends the last months of her life surrounded by her family, while Jenny and Qing rediscover their hometown. Gone With the Boat (2023) portrays the rural environment not only as an idealized tourist destination but also as a refuge from instability and family fragmentation. 

Xiaoyu Chen is a Chinese screenwriter and director who debuted with his first feature film, Let’s Go, in 2012. His second project, Gone with The Boat, premiered in 2023. 

Saturday, April 19th, 2025 

When This Is All Over | Kevin Mayuga | Philippines | 2023 | 90’ | VOSE | Drama

The protagonist, known as The Guy, is trapped in the solitude of his luxurious apartment during the most chaotic phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, his life changes when a new community of friends enters his world. Hosting illegal parties, he meets Rose Marie, a building worker who becomes the key to his personal transformation. When This Is All Over portrays Generation Z and class struggles in the Philippines. 

Dir. Kevin Mayuga (Manila) is a young filmmaker and screenwriter who earned a degree in Communication from Ateneo de Manila University in 2012. He began his career directing the short films Ate O.G. (2021) and The Juans: Sabik (2021). 

His feature film When This Is All Over (2023) has been well received at international festivals such as the Udine Far East Film Festival, the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, and the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers. 

Saturday, April 26th, 2025 

Waltz for Three | Arman Zarrinkoub | Iran | 2023 | 81’ | VOSE | Drama

A psychological drama filled with mystery and tension. The story follows Mahmoud, who returns home after a long absence. His return coincides with a disturbing event: his mother, Fakhri, receives a call from a psychiatric hospital that will change their lives forever. As they try to maintain a sense of normality, a police officer arrives at their home, determined to investigate the family’s past. Gradually, dark family secrets emerge, unraveling a chain of revelations that will challenge their bonds. 

Dir. Arman Zarrinkoub, born in Tehran in 1976, is recognized as the creator and producer of several Iranian television series, such as Setayesh. After studying Economic Management, Zarrinkoub began his career in the film industry in 1998, directing short films and working in advertising. 

Over time, he established himself as a key figure in the Iranian entertainment industry. His film Accordion gained international attention and was nominated for «Best Director» and «Best Actress» at the Urban Film Festival, solidifying his reputation as a promising director in Iranian cinema. 

Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 

The Land Where the Winds Stood Still | Ardak Amirkulov | Kazakhstan | 2023 | 108’ | VOSE | Drama 

Inspired by the Great Kazakh Famine, known as the Goloshchyokin Genocide, which took place between 1930 and 1933, this film portrays the harrowing testimonies of its survivors through the character of Juspar, a relentless mother who does everything she can to save and feed her two children, Jolan and Boshay. 

Juspar tries to reach her childhood village, hoping to find a surviving relative, but along the way, she must endure rains, sandstorms, hunger, poisoned corpses, and starving vultures. This dark period in the country’s history was largely due to the forced sedentarization of a predominantly nomadic society, which began in 1928, and the compulsory collectivization of land. 

Dir. Ardak Amirkulov is a Kazakh director and screenwriter who has been directing and producing feature films since 1988. From 1992 to 2002, Amirkulov served as the general director of Kazakhfilm, the largest film studio in Kazakhstan. He currently works as a professor of Film Theory at the National Academy of Arts in Kazakhstan.