The New York Asian Film Festival’s 25th edition will feature the North American premiere of director Na Hong-jin’s “Hope,” and Neon will distribute the film in North America starting September 9th.
The screening will take place on July 20th at the SVA Theater in New York, where Na will appear for an introduction and Q&A.
Director Na will also receive NYAFF’s Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Films. The award is the festival’s honor given to filmmakers at the top of the genre, and is named in honor of its founder, Dan Craft, who passed away in 2013. Past recipients include Dante Lam and Yuen Woo-ping. “Hope” will be director Na’s first film in 10 years since “Wailing”.
The film takes place in a coastal village called Hope Harbor, where a jaded police chief, an outspoken sergeant, and a group of hunters come face-to-face with a mysterious presence emerging from the surrounding woods. Na drew parallels to his previous work while clarifying the film’s underlying concerns. “Ultimately, what this film seeks to explore and convey is the well-known adage that all tragedies in the world arise from misunderstandings,” he said. Despite the spectacle genre, he describes the film simply as a “human drama.”
The cast includes Hwang Jeong-min, Zo In-sung, and Ho-young, and this is the feature film debut of the same work that became a big hit with “Squid Game.” The international ensemble that portrays the film’s mysterious visitor through performance capture includes Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender, Oscar winner Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell (Waves, Bones and All) and Cameron Britton (Mindhunter, Mickey 17). The film was shot in Korea and Romania’s Retezat National Park by cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, who previously worked on films such as “Parasite” and “Burning,” and the music was composed by Michael Abels, the composer of “Get Out” and “Nope.”
In addition to the featured films, NYAFF will present a retrospective spanning Na’s entire filmography. This is the first time all four of his features will be screened together. The program begins with The Chaser (2008), which will be shown in 35mm on July 26th, followed by The Yellow Sea (2010) at the Korean Cultural Center in New York on July 19th, and The Wailing (2016) at the SVA Theater later that evening. All films in the series had their world premieres at Cannes. “Hope” marks Na’s first title in the festival’s main competition.
Jessica Cann reviewed the film for Variety magazine, calling “Hope” “featuring some of the most breathtakingly elegant action filmmaking of the year or so far.”
NYAFF 2026 will be held from July 10th to 26th at five venues in New York City, with a focus on films from Lincoln Center.
