New Asian Cinema

From January 10th to april 25th, 2026

CASA ASIA has brought together twelve new titles for the film programme that we will screen every Saturday between January and the end of March. The stories told across the vast geographies we cover bring cultures and peoples together, each reinforcing its own identity. The itinerary begins in India and continues through Kazakhstan, Iran, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia. It has been designed so that viewers can reconstruct the mosaic of scenes that this cinema offers us. All the films to be screened were made between 2022 and 2025, with the exception of Memory of Love (2009) by Chinese director Wang Chao. We are therefore speaking of recent cinema that connects us with a remote reality which is, at the same time, very close and highly topical. The programme opens with Body (India) by director Abhijit Mazumdar, followed by Green Plum Season (Iran) by director Ali Bayat, Longer Than a Day (Kazakhstan) by director Malika Mukhamejan, The Past Is Present (Bangladesh) by director Shaheen Dill-Riaz, Olsen’s Day (Philippines) by director JP Habac, Qian Tang River (China) by director Wan Bo, Ben and Suzanne: A Reunion in 4 Parts (Sri Lanka) by director Shaun Seneviratne, Andamooka (Australia) by director Mara Jean Quinn, A Childless Village (Iran) by director Reza Jamali, Good Luck (Japan) by director Adachi Shin, and finally Co-Love (Philippines) by director Jill Singson Urdaneta.

PROGRAMME

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Months after the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Manoj, a young actor, tries to rebuild his career while coping with personal trauma. He decides to join his theatre colleagues on a trip to a village near Mumbai, but the journey does not go as planned and he ends up returning alone, walking naked along the road. His existence begins to fragment. He skips important rehearsals for his upcoming play and struggles even with the most everyday tasks. It is then that he befriends a boy who lives in the apartment across the hall and discovers that the boy’s father regularly abuses him. This discovery embarks Manoj on a complex journey of uncertainty and intrigue.

Abhijit Mazumdar is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter, a graduate of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII). He currently heads the Directing Department at the Whistling Woods International Institute in Mumbai. Throughout his career, he has directed short films, documentaries, commercials, and two notable feature films: Yeti (2014) and Body (2023). The latter premiered at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala.

Saturday, January 17, 2026

A romantic film that follows the development and demise of several love stories at once. The narrative begins when Ata, a judge, submits his resignation and decides to retreat to the family villa on the outskirts of the city. In this house, his wife Giti files for divorce, and his son Farhad, a university student and social activist, returns from prison. Father and son experience a distant and cold reunion. A car accident jeopardizes the family dynamic, which is stabilized through deception and perpetuated by further incidents.

Ali Bayat (Arak, Iran, 1983), after graduating in mechanical engineering, studied cinematography. He has five short films that have won awards at international festivals: Cave, Guitar, Underground, Fall, and Respect the Court. He has also worked as a production assistant on films such as Isolation and Forever. He completed his feature debut this year with Green Plum Season (2024), which was awarded at the Dhaka International Film Festival.

Saturday, January 24, 2026

The lives of Karlygash (which means “swallow” in Kazakh) and Ilyas, a young married couple living on a horse ranch in a remote settlement on the Kazakh steppe, change dramatically with the arrival of a French traveler named Louis. Karlygash moves from emotional dependence on Ilyas to escape and finally ventures into an uncertain future. The film explores how women face loneliness through a story of love and passion that ultimately brings the marriage to an end.

Malika Mukhamejan (Shu, 1993) is a Kazakh filmmaker who graduated in directing from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in 2021. Her work focuses on women’s stories and their loneliness and isolation. She is the founder of QYZQARAS, a platform that supports female filmmakers in Kazakhstan. Her debut feature film, Longer Than a Day (2024), was selected for the Asian New Talent section at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF).

Saturday, January 31, 2026

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In 2007, Bangladeshi documentarian Shaheen Dill-iaz discovered a family scandal: his sister had secretly married their cousin. This event tore the family apart, prompting him to mediate between his sister in Australia, his brother in the United States, and his parents in Dhaka. Dill-Riaz turns the camera on himself and his loved ones, constructing a domestic saga filmed over fourteen years. The film offers a contrast of lifestyles across cultures, with an inclusive narrative that reveals the isolation of its protagonists in relation to the world around them.

Shaheen Dill-Riaz is a Bangladeshi filmmaker, director, producer, and screenwriter based in Berlin. After completing secondary school, he began collaborating on the production of several short films. In 1992, he started studying Art History at the Freie Universität Berlin and later cinematography at the Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. Since 1999, he has worked as a director, screenwriter, producer, and cinematographer in Europe and Asia. His most recent work, The Past Is Present (2025), was selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2025.

Saturday, February 14, 2026

In Memory of Love, a woman, He Sizhu, and her lover, Chen Mo, suffer a car accident in which she loses her memory. She is admitted to the hospital where her husband works as a surgeon, and when she wakes up, she remembers nothing of her recent past. Her lover has become a stranger, but he refuses to lose her, even though the therapy she undergoes does not guarantee the recovery of her memory.

After graduating from university, Wang Chao worked for five years in the steel industry, although he was always interested in cinema and literature. In 1991, he entered the Beijing Film Academy, graduating in 1994 and beginning work as a film critic. There he met Chen Kaige after the shooting of Yellow Earth, who hired him as an assistant director between 1995 and 1998 on Farewell My Concubine and The Emperor and the Assassin. During this period, he wrote several short stories that inspired screenplays for some of his films. With Orphan of Anyang, which he shot without authorization, he made his directorial debut. The film was selected in 2001 for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2004, he directed his second feature Day and Night, and in 2006 completed his China trilogy with Luxury Car. His fourth and fifth films, Memory of Love (2009) and Fantasy (2014), the latter presented in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, show a narrative maturity despite their restraint. Looking for Rohmer (2018) reveals Wang Chao’s interest in critic and filmmaker Eric Rohmer and the Nouvelle Vague. A Woman (2022), his most recent film to date, was screened at the Asian Film Festival Barcelona | AFFBCN with great audience success, after its screening in San Sebastián where it was nominated for the Golden Shell.

Saturday, February 21, 2026

One river, three generations, countless failures, and a village deeply affected by recurring floods caused by the tides. In the late 1950s, a young man is swept away by the river and arrives at this village. The inhabitants decide to embark on an ambitious project: the construction of a dike. This monumental effort becomes a central focus, illustrating the population’s struggle for survival, their unwavering beliefs, and their shared determination to tame the river and reclaim their land.

Wan Bo is a director and cinematographer who graduated from the China Academy of Art with a bachelor’s degree in photography and a master’s degree in theatre and film directing. He also holds a PhD in Film Production from the Beijing Film Academy. His most notable work to date is The Qiang River (2024), which was nominated for Best Film at the 2024 Shanghai International Film Festival and won the Golden Cocoon Award for Best Director at the 2024 Silk Road International Film Festival. He currently combines his work as a filmmaker with his position as an associate professor at the Zhejiang University of Media and Communications.

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Olsen, a thirty-year-old investigator, is tasked with transporting a package from his provincial hometown to Manila. Along the way, he picks up a father and son as passengers. What begins as a routine trip becomes a journey of personal discovery, in which, through shared conversations and silences, Olsen reflects on his life and the grief over his late father, opening up new possibilities for connection and healing.

JP Habac (Manila, 1987) is a Filipino filmmaker who graduated in Film from the University of the Philippines Film Institute. Throughout his career, Habac has established himself as a prominent director, screenwriter, and producer in Philippine cinema, particularly known for his moving stories centered on LGBTQIA+ themes and romantic dramas. His most notable works include I’m Drunk, I Love You (2017), the series Gaya sa Pelikula (2020), and Drag You & Me (2023). His most recent film is Olsen’s Day (2025).

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts | Sri Lanka | Dir: S. Seneviratne | 2024 | 110’ | English subtitles | Drama After a long separation, Ben Santhanaraj travels to Sri Lanka to rekindle his relationship with Suzanne Hopper, an American woman working for an NGO. However, when Suzanne’s boss requires her to work during the holidays, their love is tested by a dilemma between desire and duty. While Suzanne fulfills her professional responsibilities, Ben tries by all means to revive their relationship. This leads to candid conversations and chaotic turns as New Year’s Eve and Ben’s departure approach.

Shaun Seneviratne is a Sri Lankan-American filmmaker based in Brooklyn. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and a master’s degree from The New School (New York). He is currently a teacher at Fieldston, co-hosts the podcast Rohmercast, and runs Redacted Screenings. His latest feature film, Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts (2024), was selected for the 2025 Jodja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival.

Saturday, April 4, 2026
Andamooka | Australia | Dir: Mara Jean Quinn | 2024 | 85’ | OV w/ English subtitles | Drama

Shortly before her 30th birthday, Alex faces a series of personal adversities: heartbreak, work burnout, and a deep identity crisis. In an attempt to escape her overwhelming city life, she decides to travel with her best friend to the town of Andamooka in South Australia. Amid the vast Australian rural landscape, she embarks on a journey of inner exploration. Through encounters with strangers and contact with Indigenous cultures, she gradually regains her sense of understanding and inner strength.

Mara Jean Quinn is an Australian actress, filmmaker, and artist. She has worked in theatre since 1999 and in film since 2006. Mara has been involved in writing, production, directing, and costume assistance. Her training has focused mainly on Brisbane and Sydney. Her filmography includes Desert Metal Dreaming (2021), which she co-directed, wrote, and produced, and The Tingle Test (2019), which she co-wrote, produced, and starred in. Her solo directorial debut came with Andamooka (2024), which screened at the Queensland Premiere of the 2024 Brisbane International Film Festival and in the Official Selection of CinefestOZ 2024.

Saturday, April 11, 2026

As the title suggests, the film takes us to a small rural village facing a demographic challenge. In the past, in the absence of a logical explanation for the lack of births in the village, women were blamed. Drawn by the mystery, filmmaker Kazem went to the village and shot a documentary following this narrative, which was never released. Two decades later, the true cause of the demographic problem is discovered. In old age and accompanied by his assistant, the director returns to the village with a firm purpose: to uncover the truth and, this time, restore the dignity of the women in the construction of the story.

Reza Jamali (Arbedil, Iran, 1978) is a filmmaker who, after an extensive production of short films presented and awarded at national and international festivals, made his feature debut with Old Men Never Die in 2019. His first feature won the “Spirits of Asia Award” at the Tokyo International Film Festival and subsequently traveled to other international festivals. A Childless Village (2022) is the second film written and directed by the Iranian filmmaker.

Saturday, April 18, 2026

Taro is an independent filmmaker who is invited to the screening of his new personal documentary at a film festival in Oita Prefecture. Although he arrives full of enthusiasm, he quickly collapses when the festival organizer harshly criticizes his film. Taro skips the opening party and leaves the next day for a neighboring town. There, he meets a woman named Miki, with whom he decides to take a short trip. During their brief encounter, they open up to each other, strengthening the bond between them. But when Taro returns to Tokyo, his girlfriend is waiting for him.

Adachi Shin (1972) is a Japanese screenwriter and director. After graduating from the Japan Institute of the Moving Image, he studied under director Somai Shinji. He began writing screenplays after working as an assistant director. In 2015, he won the 39th Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Screenplay for 100 Yen Love (2014). His most recent film, Good Luck (2024), has been screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Udine Far East Film Festival, and the Fribourg International Film Festival.

Saturday, April 25, 2026

Two popular social media content creators realize that they are experiencing personal problems with their respective partners. This brings them together through an unexpected professional collaboration that emerges between them. Both the protagonists and their immediate surroundings reflect the energy of a young, constantly changing world in a country like the Philippines.

Jill Singson Urdaneta is a Filipino director, actor, and editor. He has directed several films, including Partee (2016), Beki Problems (2021), and Co/Love (2025), which was presented at the 2025 CinePanalo Film Festival.

Cinema Cycle: From Jenuary 10th to april 25th, 2026,at 20h. 
This programming might be subject to small changes, check the cinema web page
Cinemes Girona: C/ Girona, 175, 08025 Barcelona. 
Ticket price: 5,50€

New Asian Cinema

ORGANIZA