The New York Asian Film Festival will current the North American premiere of Na Hong-Jin‘s “Hope” because the centerpiece of its twenty fifth version, with Neon distributing the movie in North America starting Sept. 9.
The screening takes place July 20 on the SVA Theatre in New York, the place Na will seem for an introduction and Q&A.
Na may also obtain NYAFF’s Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Motion Cinema – the pageant’s honor for filmmakers working on the peak of the style, named for founder Dan Craft, who died in 2013. Previous recipients embody Dante Lam and Yuen Woo-ping. “Hope” is Na’s first movie in a decade, following “The Wailing.”
The movie unfolds in a coastal village referred to as Hope Harbor, the place a weary police chief, his outspoken sergeant, and a gaggle of hunters discover themselves confronting a mysterious presence rising from surrounding forests. Na drew a parallel to his earlier work whereas articulating the movie’s underlying concern. “Ultimately, what this film hopes to explore and convey is the familiar adage that all the world’s tragedies stem from misunderstandings,” he mentioned. Regardless of its style spectacle, he describes the movie merely as “a human drama.”
The solid is led by Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Hoyeon, marking the “Squid Game” breakout’s characteristic movie debut. A world ensemble portraying the movie’s enigmatic guests by efficiency seize consists of Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender, Oscar winner Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell (“Waves,” “Bones and All”), and Cameron Britton (“Mindhunter,” “Mickey 17”). The movie was shot throughout South Korea and Romania’s Retezat Nationwide Park by cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, whose previous credit embody “Parasite” and “Burning,” and is scored by Michael Abels, composer of “Get Out” and “Nope.”
Alongside the centerpiece, NYAFF will current a retrospective spanning Na’s full filmography – the primary time all 4 of his options have screened collectively. This system opens with “The Chaser” (2008) on 35mm on July 26, and consists of “The Yellow Sea” (2010) on July 19 on the Korean Cultural Middle New York and “The Wailing” (2016) later the identical night on the SVA Theatre. Each movie within the sequence had its world premiere at Cannes; “Hope” marks Na’s first title within the pageant’s most important competitors.
Reviewing the film for Variety, Jessica Kiang described “Hope” as “featuring some of the most breathtakingly elegant action moviemaking of this or any year.”
NYAFF 2026 runs July 10–26 throughout 5 New York venues anchored by Movie at Lincoln Middle.
