Our mark is 銀幕, ginmaku — the silver screen, and the same two characters in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

I came to Tokyo at twenty-three for a summer job at a Shibuya mini-theatre and the job never quite ended. Fifteen years of festivals later I still think the only review that counts is the one the room gives you: where the laugh lands, the moment three hundred people stop moving at once, whether anybody stays for the credits.

Cinepuuulse follows Asian cinema — Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand — across about a hundred and twenty sources. A good number of them are Spanish, French and Portuguese, because those countries programme this work seriously and write about it better than most of the English-language trade. Genre and art-house get the same seat here. I am not ranking them, and nothing is scored out of ten.

Each story is a headline, a short excerpt, one still and a link to the outlet that did the reporting. We never republish the piece, and the still belongs to its studio or its photographer. A Korean trade paper appears in Korean, a French review in French. We point at the work; we do not put words in anyone's mouth.

— Daren Wise, Tokyo

← Cinepuuulse Archive

Asian Film FestivalsAsia

20 Must-see short films from the 30th ifva Festival (Part 1)

October 10

These are twenty short films you shouldn’t miss at the ifva Festival (Hong Kong) which is taking place from October 9 – 24, 2026 at the Louis Koo Cinema (Hong Kong Arts Centre).

Festivals & awards Indie & debut

Read at Asian Film Festivals ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

20 Must-see short films from the 30th ifva Festival (Part 1)

Related

Asia10 Must-see short films from the 31st Busan International Film Festival 2026 Asian Film Festivals

California Awards Nearly $9M In Tax Credits To Two Indie Animated Features, Pixar Scores Another $40M Cartoon Brew

AfricaSeven Years Later, Lights Camera Africa! Film Festival Returns to Give Independent Filmmakers Another Home What Kept Me Up

UKFrom Cosmic Head Explosions to Awkward Third Wheels: 11 Short Films to Discover at Encounters Film Festival 2026 Directors Notes

UK10 Unforgettable Short Films DN Spotted at Sarajevo Film Festival 2026 Directors Notes

Asia14th Montreal Asian International Film Festival – Call for Entry 2027 Asian Film Festivals