Welcome to the 2026 Asian Cinema Challenge!

This is the seventh edition of this challenge. Thanks so much to the 2025 participants — we had over 70 people participate last year, which is more than twice the number in the previous two years! I hope people had fun and broke down some Asian cinema barriers in their watchlists.

This is a typical annual challenge, with 52 films to be watched and reviewed on a weekly basis. Please use the tag “asiancc2026” and a weekly tag #asiancc2026 week# (#=the week number) for every entry so we can keep track of your reviews and everyone can see what everyone else is watching. Please post the link to your lists in the comments below and I will add your name in this section.

Please see this year’s weekly themes below. How you approach the challenge is up to you, but I strongly suggest you pick films you haven't seen. Watch films in any order and make any substitutions you want, like when films are not available to you or you prefer to tackle another area of Asian cinema. The linked lists aren’t always definitive, so feel free to pick films not on the lists if they fit the parameters. Start any time and never feel beholden to your original pick if the week comes around and you find something better. The purpose of the challenge is to keep exploring and experiencing new films! Feel free to share any comments or suggestions for now or the future, and have fun.

Week 1 - Critic List: The "Asian Cinema 100" from the 2025 Busan Film Festival
Week 2 - Asian Women Directors Top 100
Week 3 - Acting: Asian Film Award Nominations
Week 4 - Made in the Philippines / alt
Week 5 - Actor or Director: Sylvia Chang
Week 6 - Made in Korea / alt / alt
Week 7 - Anti-Bushido Samurai Films
Week 8 - Made in Taiwan / alt
Week 9 - Music!
Week 10 - Made in Palestine
Week 11 - Cinema Judaica
Week 12 - Queer Asian Cinema
Week 13 - China's Sixth Generation Movement
Week 14 - Medium: Japanese OVA
Week 15 - Director: Yim Soon-rye
Week 16 - Hong Kong Film Archive's Must-See Hong Kong Films
Week 17 - Asian Cinema with Major International Award Recognition
Week 18 - Korean Queer Cinema
Week 19 - Director: Johnnie To
Week 20 - Japanese Experimental Film / alt
Week 21 - Crime!
Week 22 - Indian Women Directors
Week 23 - Post-Apocalyptic Asian Cinema
Week 24 - Banned in China
Week 25 - Made in the Middle East / alt
Week 26 - Chinese Diaspora Queer Cinema
Week 27 - Made in Singapore or Malaysia
Week 28 - Not Bollywood: Regional Indian Films
Week 29 - Actor: Song Kang-ho
Week 30 - For Your Consideration: Taiwan Post-New Wave
Week 31 - Made in India / alt
Week 32 - Auteur: Hideaki Anno
Week 33 - Trains!
Week 34 - India Adjacent: Watch a film from Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, or Pakistan
Week 35 - Director: Trinh T. Minh-ha
Week 36 - Hong Kong Comedic Cinema
Week 37 - Japanese Women Directors
Week 38 - Made in Southeast Asia / alt
Week 39 - Sageuk: Korean Historical Dramas
Week 40 - Student Animation: Geidai
Week 41 - Pre-revolution (1979) Iranian Cinema
Week 42 - Chinese Women Directors
Week 43 - Asian Noir
Week 44 - Any Film Nominated for Asian Film Award
Week 45 - Sports!
Week 46 - Tokusatsu Films
Week 47 - Chinese New Documentary Movement
Week 48 - Asian Film in the Criterion Collection
Week 49 - For Your Consideration: Post-6th Generation Chinese Cinema
Week 50 - Japanese Ero-Guro Film
Week 51 - Cinema of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Week 52 - Asian Anthology Film