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

The Guardian FilmUK

Andrew Scott drama Elsinore leads British independent film award nominations

11.03

Elsinore is in contention for 12 Bifas, including for Scott’s highly praised performance, while Clio Barnard’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, Ashley Walters’ Animol and Mike Leigh’s Tender…

Festivals & awards Indie & debut Film Andrew Scott Awards and prizes Clio Barnard

Read at The Guardian Film ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

Andrew Scott drama Elsinore leads British independent film award nominations

Related

International Documentary Festival Amsterdam 2026 Exclusive: BAHÍA HONDA Poster Premiere ScreenAnarchy

‘Elsinore,’ ‘I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning’ and ‘Animol’ Lead British Independent Film Awards Nominations Variety

Sean Durkin’s ‘Deep Cuts’ – Everything We Know So Far … (American Indie Edition) IONCINEMA

MalaysiaPickles, pals and a grisly secret ingredient: Malaysian indie ‘Curi Makan’ lands a Rotterdam world premiere Malay Mail Showbiz

Asia26th DokuFest International Documentary and Short Film Festival – Call for Entry 2027 Asian Film Festivals

AfricaLagos Fringe 2026 Film Programme Features 20+ Short Films, and Masterclasses What Kept Me Up