Lights, camera, action! The 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival is heating up June with over 400 films celebrating cinematic artistry from Asia and beyond. 🌟 From 4K restorations of classics to boundary-pushing sci-fi, this year’s lineup honors trailblazers like Chinese filmmaker Yuan Muzhi while amplifying fresh voices in global storytelling.
CGTN’s curated list serves up a cultural feast 🍜—here are the must-watch highlights:
🇱🇦 The Guardian of Stories: A Laos documentary preserving cultural roots through vivid oral traditions.
🇨🇳 Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts: A gritty Chinese thriller blending crime drama with family secrets.
🇰🇬 Black, Red, Yellow: Kyrgyzstan’s ode to carpet-weaving heritage, thread by colorful thread.
🇮🇹🇫🇷🇧🇪 Vermiglio: A visually stunning Alps-set drama tackling women’s resilience.
🇷🇺🇰🇿 Son: A Russia-Kazakhstan animated short about parenthood’s joys and struggles.
Other standouts include Hungary’s hard-hitting Lesson Learned (Belt and Road Film Week pick) and Argentina’s twisty heist comedy Nine Queens. For fantasy lovers, China’s Edge of Time promises mind-bending animation, while Lynch fans can revisit the cult classic Eraserhead.
💡 Why it matters: These films aren’t just entertainment—they’re bridges between cultures. Whether exploring traditional crafts or futuristic worlds, each story sparks conversations about our shared humanity.
Ready to binge more than just Netflix? Grab popcorn and let these global tales transport you beyond the screen. 🍿✨
