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

BFI / Sight and SoundUK

Queer Edward II: New Derek Jarman documentary captures a vital piece of cinematic history

October 7

Theo Rollason’s remarkable found-footage documentary examines the wider political context that shaped Derek Jarman’s creation of his 1991 drama Edward II.

Documentary

Read at BFI / Sight and Sound ↗

UKKnife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie: fascinating documentary captures the author’s courage and humour in the wake of a brutal attack BFI / Sight and Sound

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

Queer Edward II: New Derek Jarman documentary captures a vital piece of cinematic history

Related

UKKnife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie: fascinating documentary captures the author’s courage and humour in the wake of a brutal attack BFI / Sight and Sound

ItalyFesta di Roma, documentari e restauri alla Casa del cinema Cinecittà News

UKNAZA film-makers say they spoke to more than 100 sources about Israeli actions in Gaza The Guardian Film

UKKnife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie review – terrifying and inspiring story of survival The Guardian Film

AustraliaScreen Australia announces $5.7 million in funding for documentary production ScreenHub Australia

CanadaThe Documentary Side of VIFF 2026: Some Highlights POV Magazine