The Asia Pacific region is once again a strong contender in the 2025 Academy Awards International Feature Film category, showcasing a diverse and often box-office successful array of films. With an impressive track record of two wins in the past five years and four wins since 2000, the region consistently delivers critically acclaimed cinema. This year sees a rise in submissions, with 20 entries compared to 18 last year, all vying to follow in the footsteps of Japan’s Perfect Days, which earned a nomination last year.

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Regional Triumphs and Notable Submissions

Since 2000, Asia Pacific titles have secured nominations in 14 out of 25 Oscar ceremonies. Past winners include:

• Taiwan’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001)
• Japan’s Departures (2009)
• South Korea’s Parasite (2020)
• Japan’s Drive My Car (2022)

This year’s selections include several high-profile films and some unexpected choices:

• India’s Laapataa Ladies: In a surprise move, India selected Kiran Rao’s light-hearted satire. Produced by Bollywood star Aamir Khan, this Hindi-language film premiered at Toronto in 2023 and was later picked up by Netflix. It follows a comedic case of mistaken identity involving two young brides. This marks Khan’s second film as producer to be submitted after Lagaan, which was nominated in 2002.
• Hong Kong’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In: Returning to the race after a disqualification last year, Hong Kong’s entry is the highest-grossing film in the category, taking $13.7 million locally and nearly $100 million in mainland China. This martial-arts thriller, set in 1980s Kowloon Walled City, had its international premiere at Cannes.
• Thailand’s How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies: This pan-Asian box-office phenomenon has grossed $50 million worldwide since its April release, becoming the biggest film of the year in Thailand and Singapore, and the biggest Asian film of all time in Indonesia. The film centers on a young man who cares for his terminally ill grandmother in hopes of inheriting her fortune.
• South Korea’s 12.12: The Day: Another box-office hit, this historical action drama was South Korea’s biggest film of 2023, earning over $97 million. Based on a true military coup in 1979, the film saw a U.S. theatrical release in November 2023.

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Festival Favorites and Unique Stories

Several submissions from the region gained international recognition at major film festivals:

• Cambodia’s Meeting With Pol Pot: Directed by the acclaimed Rithy Panh, this Cannes Premiere selection follows three French journalists interviewing the Khmer Rouge leader. Panh was previously nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for The Missing Picture.
• Mongolia’s If Only I Could Hibernate: Making history as the first feature from Mongolia to play in Cannes’ Official Selection (Un Certain Regard), this film by Zoljargal Purevdash tells the story of a teenager caring for his siblings after their mother abandons them.
• Nepal’s Shambhala: This drama made history as the first Nepali film to play in Competition at this year’s Berlinale. Directed by Min Bahadur Bham, it is set in a polyandrous Himalayan village where a pregnant woman searches for her vanished husband.
• Japan’s Cloud: From prolific filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa, this psychological thriller, which premiered at Venice, marks his first Oscar submission. Kurosawa won the Silver Lion for best director at Venice in 2020 for Wife Of A Spy.
• Malaysia’s Abang Adik: Jin Ong’s neo-noir crime drama follows two undocumented orphans whose relationship faces challenges after an accident. It garnered seven nominations at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, with Wu Kang-ren winning Best Actor.
• Armenia’s Yasha And Leonid Brezhnev: Edgar Baghdasaryan’s comedy-drama centers on a retiree reluctant to accept the end of the USSR. Armenia previously made the shortlist of 15 titles for the first time last year with Amerikatsi.
• Bangladesh’s The Wrestler: Iqbal H Chowdhury’s debut feature, a joint winner at Busan’s New Currents competition, follows an eccentric old fisherman training in traditional wrestling.
• Kyrgyzstan’s Heaven Is Beneath Mother’s Feet: Released locally in March, this film follows a mentally challenged man embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca with his mother.
• Tajikistan’s Melody: Submitted for a second time after missing a deadline last year, this film by Behrouz Sebt Rasoul focuses on a music teacher capturing birdsong for a student composition.

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Noteworthy Entries and a Documentary Exception

While China’s first documentary submission, The Sinking Of The Lisbon Maru, was ruled ineligible due to the category’s language requirement, the Philippines will make the sole documentary entry from the Asia Pacific region this year:

• Philippines’ And So It Begins: Ramona S Diaz’s film centers on the 2022 Philippine presidential election, featuring the contest between Leni Robredo and Bongbong Marcos. The film premiered at Sundance.

Other notable entries include:

• Taiwan’s Old Fox: A family drama executive produced by Cannes award winner Hou Hsiao-hsien, which won four prizes at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards.
• Singapore’s La Luna: The first Malay-language film selected by Singapore in eight years.
• Indonesia’s Women From Rote Island: A social drama directed by Jeremias Nyangoen.
• Kazakhstan’s Bauryna Salu: A coming-of-age drama that premiered at San Sebastian.
• Pakistan’s The Glassworker: A hand-drawn animation from Usman Riaz.
• Vietnam’s Peach Blossom, Pho And Piano: A romantic war drama by Phi Tien Son.