2023 in AANHPI Film and Television

To celebrate AANHPI Month and a summer full of exciting new projects, let’s revisit some impactful 2023 movies and television series created by Asian filmmakers. These works have achieved a myriad of honors the past award season and at film festivals around the world.

FEATURE

Past Lives (United States)

Director: Celine Song (CJ ENM, Killer Films, 2AM)

Celine Song’s directorial debut is a beautiful yet heartbreaking semi-autobiographical story about the reconnection of two childhood friends after years living apart. Starring Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, Past Lives discusses human connection, missed chances, childhood memories, growing up and growing apart as well as identities, especially of ones who grew up biculturally. The movie gained a tremendous amount of critical acclaim and was included on many lists as one of the best films of 2023. Song received her first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and the film was nominated for Best Picture. Past Lives was also nominated for and won many other major awards, becoming one of the most successful A24’s films.

Stream: Paramount+

The Boy and the Heron (Japan)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli)

Miyazaki reversed his retirement decision and released the animated fantasy film The Boy and the Heron in July 2023. This is his first feature-length work in 10 years, telling the story of a boy named Mahito Maki who moves to the rural area with his father and stepmother after losing his mother during the Pacific War. Here he then encounters a talking heron and discovers a secret world in the nearby deserted tower. This gorgeous hand-drawn animated film won Best Animated Feature at the 96th Academy Awards, 77th British Academy Film Awards, 81st Golden Globe Awards, as well as received two Annie Awards for Storyboarding and Character Animation. Hayao Miyazaki also became the oldest director to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. This record was previously held by no one by himself when he won the award for Spirited Away in 2002 at 62 years old.

Godzilla Minus One (Japan)

Director: Takashi Yamazaki (Toho Studios, Robot Communications)

Gojira is back and he has swept the 2024 award season. The latest installment in the Godzilla franchise depicts a former kamikaze pilot’s experiences after the war and surviving the attack of the enormous monster on Odo Island one tragic night. Takashi Yamazaki wrote, directed, and did the visual effects for the film with a budget of only $15 million. Godzilla Minus One gained huge box office success worldwide. In the United States, the film surpassed Parasite (Bong Joon-ho, 2019) as the third highest-grossing foreign-language film of all time. The film also outperformed Shin Godzilla (2016) at the box office and became the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla film in this history, grossing almost $116 million globally. In addition, Yamazaki’s film received acclaim from moviegoers, Godzilla fandoms, movie critics, and industry professionals, including Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, John Landis, Guillermo del Toro, Jason Blum, Kevin Smith, and Hideo Kojima. Godzilla Minus One won Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards, marking the first Oscar for the franchise and first win in this category for an Asian film.

Monster (Japan)

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda (Gaga, Toho Studios, Fuji Television Network, AOI Pro, Bun-Buku)

Hirokazu Kore-eda, the writer/director of critically acclaimed films such as Like Father, Like Son (2013) and Shoplifters (2018), won movie lovers’ hearts once again with Monster (2023). It tells the story of Saori Mugino, a single mother, confronting a school teacher for her son’s strange behaviors. Monster premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival and took home the Queer Palm prize as well as Best Screenplay for Yuji Sakamoto. Sakura Ando, who starred in two of the most successful Japanese films of 2023 (Monster and Godzilla Minus One), won Best Actress at the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize for her role in Kore-eda’s movie. The film also marks Ryuichi Sakamoto’s last score as he sadly passed away in March 2023.

Available for rent on multiple platforms

Perfect Days (Japan)

Director: Wim Wenders (Master Mind, Spoon, Wenders Images)

Also premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, Wim Wenders’ latest film follows Hirayama, a public toilet cleaner, and his daily life in Tokyo. Perfect Days won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the festival, and Kōji Yakusho, who portrayed Hirayama, won the award for Best Actor. In addition, the film was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, and Wenders brought home Director of the Year at the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize, marking the first German director to do so. A beautiful movie with minimal dialogue but speaks so loud at the same time, Perfect Days is a perfect movie in many ways. Another masterpiece added on both Wenders’ and Yakusho’s filmographies!

Available for rent on multiple platforms

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Vietnam)

Director: Pham Thien An (JK Film, Potocol, Deuxième Ligne Films, Zorba Production, Fasten Films)

Selected to be screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell follows Thien and his emotional journey of dealing with grief and searching for faith again after a family tragedy. Pham Thien An’s stunning debut features an interesting premise, many well-crafted long shots, and beautiful locations in the mountainous Central Highlands region of Vietnam. The film went on and won the Caméra d'Or at Cannes, which made Pham the second Vietnamese director to achieve this, after Tran Anh Hung in 1993 with The Scent of Green Papaya.

Available for rent on multiple platforms

The Taste of Things (France)

Director: Tran Anh Hung (Curiosa Films, Gaumont, France 2 Cinéma, Umedia)

2023 is a great year for Vietnamese filmmakers as Tran Anh Hung’s first movie in seven years, The Taste of Things, helped him earn the Best Director award at 76th Cannes Film Festival as well as another Oscar nomination for Best International Feature Film. Set in the countryside of France in the late 19th century, the movie portrays cook Eugenie and her boss Dodin’s love story as well as their passion for cuisine. Once again, the Vietnamese-born French director blessed the audience with his magical skills in storytelling and remarkable direction. The Taste of Things also competed for many other accolades, including Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Cinematography at the 49th César Awards.

Available for rent on multiple platforms

SHORT

Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (United States)

Director: Sean Wang (Even/Odd, Junk Drawer)

This Oscar-nominated short documentary captures the sisterhood between the director’s Taiwanese maternal and paternal grandmothers, who are living together after their husbands passed away. The 17-minute short is full of hilarious, heartwarming moments of Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó’s daily life, but there are also profoundly moving parts when they discuss aging, mortality, and the anti-Asian hate crimes happening in America during COVID. Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó premiered at the 2023 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.

Stream: Disney+

Our Uniform (Iran)

Director: Yegane Moghaddam (Jalil Moghaddam & Yegane Moghaddam)

Written, directed, and co-produced by Yegane Moghaddam, this stop-motion animated short portrays the filmmaker's experience with hijab when she attended a girls' school in Iran. Completely hand-drawn using the hijab as a canvas, Our Uniform was praised for being highly creative in animation by critics. The film premiered at Spain's Animayo International Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize as well as an award for Best Mixed Technique. Moghaddam’s debut work also earned a Best Animated Short Film nomination at the 96th Academy Awards.

TELEVISION

Beef (United States)

Showrunner: Lee Sung Jin (A24, Bugsy Bell Productions, Universal Remote, Buji Productions, Domo Arigato Productions)

Beef, an A24-produced Netflix original series, stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun as two people who engage in a road rage-fueled psychological war when both reach the lowest point of their respective lives. Learn more about the show here: Spotlight: “Beef”.

Since its release, Beef has received such incredible success. The series swept the 2024 award season by winning more than 40 accolades, including six Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. Both Wong and Yeun got many praises for their performances and took home multiple wins in the acting categories.

Stream: Netflix