The London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) returns this autumn to celebrate its 10th anniversary. From 23 October to 2 November 2025, the festival will once again transform the capital into a hub of cinematic celebration, bringing over 40 films from across the region to some of London’s most iconic venues.
Over the past decade, LEAFF has established itself, after the Far East Film Festival, as one of Europe’s leading showcases of East Asian cinema, connecting cultures through storytelling and celebrating the creative vitality of filmmakers from Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other East Asian countries. This year’s edition honours that legacy while daring to look forward – even into the uncertain territory of AI-generated cinema.
The festival opens with John Woo’s action masterpiece Hard Boiled (1992). This Hong Kong classic set the standard for heroic bloodshed cinema, and closes with Lee Sang-il’s Kokuho (2025), an emotional Japanese drama running an epic 175 minutes. The programme also features a wealth of new works, retrospectives, and special events, including Ha Jung-woo’s The People Upstairs and Garin Nugroho’s Samsara, both followed by in-person Q&As.
But perhaps the most daring element of LEAFF’s 10th edition is the introduction of a new strand titled Future Frames: AI – a section devoted to exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and filmmaking. The programme, divided into three showcases, will feature a range of short works from South Korea, including Sigumun, The Dream of Atlantis, Color of My Garden, and Demons in the Heart, among others.
Having an AI film section at such a major festival is, without a doubt, a bold and provocative move – one that comes at a time when many of the world’s most respected filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, have voiced concerns over the rapid encroachment of AI on artistic creation. While technological innovation continues to change the industry, questions of authorship, authenticity, and emotion loom large.
The festival’s other strands include: Stories of Women amplifies female voices from across East Asia, while Masters of Cinema revisits modern classics such as Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder and Kang Je-gyu’s Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War, both accompanied by in-depth conversations with their respective cinematographer and production designer. Meanwhile, Timeless Classics celebrates the golden eras of Korean, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong cinema, ensuring that LEAFF’s past and present continue to speak to each other.
Tickets to the Opening Gala and Closing Night Gala are now available.
VIP passes can be purchased here.
TICKETS can be purchased here.
FULL PROGRAMME:
Hard Boiled | Dir. John Woo | Hong Kong | 1992 | 128 mins
Kokuho | Dir. Lee Sang-il | Japan | 2025 | 175 mins
The People Upstairs + Q&A with Director Ha Jung-woo | Dir. Ha Jung-woo | Korea | 2025 | 108 mins
Samsara + Q&A with Director Gavin Nugroho | Dir. Garin Nugroho | Indonesia | 2024 | 80 mins
96 Minutes | Dir. Hung Tzu-hsuan | Taiwan | 2025 | 117 mins
Behind the Shadows | Dir. Jonathan Li & Chou Man-yu | Hong Kong | 2025 | 102 mins
Crossing Years + Q&A with Director Yonfan | Dir. Yonfan | Hong Kong | 2025 | 90 mins
Family Matters | Dir. Pan Ke-yin | Taiwan | 2025 | 99 mins
Green Wave | Dir. Xu Lei | China | 2024 | 111 mins
Praying Mantis | Dir. Joe Hsieh & Yonfan | Taiwan / Hong Kong | 2025 | 18 mins
The Sun Rises On Us All | Dir. Cai Shangjun | China | 2025 | 131 mins
The Ugly | Dir. Yeon Sang-ho | Korea | 2025 | 103 mins
Yakushima’s Illusion | Dir. Naomi Kawase | France / Japan / Belgium / Luxembourg | 2025 | 122 mins
First Summer + Q&A with Director Heo Ga-young | Dir. Heo Ga-young | South Korea | 2025 | 30 mins
Human Resource | Dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit | Thailand | 2025 | 122 mins
Pavane for an Infant | Dir. Chong Keat Aun | Malaysia / Hong Kong | 2024 | 117 mins
Project Y + Q&A with Director Lee Hwan | Dir. Lee Hwan | South Korea | 2025 | 110 mins
Memories of Murder + In Conversation with the Cinematographer Kim Hyung-koo | Dir. Bong Joon-ho | Korea | 2003 | 132 mins
Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War + In Conversation with the Production Designer Shin Bo-kyeong | Dir. Kang Je-gyu | Korea | 2004 | 140 mins
A Flower in Hell | Dir. Shin Sang-ok | Korea | 1958 | 86 mins
Good Bye! Darling | Dir. Pai Ching-jui | Taiwan | 1970 | 96 mins
Lonely Seventeen | Dir. Pai Ching-jui | Taiwan | 1967 | 95 mins
Madame Freedom | Dir. Han Hyung-mo | Korea | 1956 | 124 mins
PTU | Dir. Johnnie To | Hong Kong | 2003 | 88 mins
The Story of a Small Town | Dir. Lee Hsing | Taiwan | 1979 | 94 mins
The Widow | Dir. Park Nam-ok | Korea | 1955 | 94 mins
FUTURE FRAMES: AI
AI Cinema #1 – Opening Film – to be announced
AI Cinema #2
Sigumun | Dir. You Hyeong-jun, Rolen Yealin Jeon, Hong Jin-wook | Korea | 2025 | 15 mins
The Dream of Atlantis | Dir. Choi Young-min | Korea | 2025 | 14 mins
Fragment of Falling | Dir. Kim Woon-ha | Korea | 2025 | 10 mins
Fog Advisory | Dir. Park Seong-won | Korea | 2025 | 11 mins
Beol-lae | Dir. Ahn Sang-wook | Korea | 2025 | 9 mins
AI Cinema #3
Color Of My Garden | Dir. Roy Oh | Korea | 2025 | 25 mins
Demons in the Heart | Dir. Zo Fan | Korea | 2025 | 6 mins
Mold | Dir. Kim Woon-ha | Korea | 2025 | 6 mins
Grand Prix: The Beginning of the Legend | KRBC | Korea | 2025 | 15 mins
Kingdom of SHIN Ramen | Dir. BMH | Korea | 2025 | 1 min
Wanna Taste The Heat | Dir. Giyeok | Korea | 2025 | 1 min
SHIN Ramyun – Savor the Spicy Moments of Happiness | Dir. Dae Shik Choi | Korea | 2025 | 1 min
Butterfly | Dir. Minshi Park | Korea | 2025 | 1 min
INDUSTRY TALK
Crossing Cinema Currents
Featured image courtesy of LEAFF
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