Now in full swing and due to run until late this month, this year’s ASEAN Film Festival (AFF) — Hong Kong’s annual showcase spotlighting the cinema and culture of Southeast Asia — offers a platform for facilitating regional partnerships and cross-cultural appreciation.

The opening ceremony was attended by officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the city’s diplomatic community, as well as celebrated international directors and cultural figures.

Film professionals said the resonance of such a platform is only heightened by a growing consensus that cross-regional co-production will assume an ever more significant role as the industry moves forward.

The festival, now in its fourth edition, curated around a pronounced musical element, aims to help convey the cultures of Southeast Asia and beyond with greater immediacy, accessibility and appeal to younger demographics, screening more than 30 films from all the 11 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as other countries and regions.

The films screened include Timor- Leste’s AFF debut, Intangible Cultural Heritage: Short Films from Timor-Leste — a music-themed collection showcasing the nation’s cultural tapestry. The lineup also featured the New Frequencies: Short Films of Youth and Whimsy program — a seven-film showcase from emerging ASEAN filmmakers — and Last Song for You, the acclaimed directorial debut of veteran Hong Kong screenwriter Jill Leung Laiyin.

AFF 2026 also offers postscreening discussions with directors and creative teams from selected productions, allowing audiences to peek behind the cinematic curtain, plus talks on music’s role in storytelling.

Exchange underlined Speaking at the festival’s opening ceremony on Aug 20, Hong Kong Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said the event “resonates profoundly” with the city’s strategic positioning as an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchanges.

“This event is about far more than just screenings. It’s fundamentally about connection and collaboration,” she said.

Law reaffirmed that the SAR government will continue to back local filmmakers with targeted initiatives, and, through the Film Development Fund, supports creative local productions and international co-productions, nurtures young talents, and showcases Hong Kong cinema on the global stage.

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, is sponsoring screenings of two Hong Kong films — along with a sharing session and networking reception to promote creative ties between Hong Kong and ASEAN.

Daryl Ng Win-kong, chairman of the Hong Kong-ASEAN Foundation Limited, said he hopes audiences will enjoy the program and take the opportunity to discover new stories, gain fresh perspectives, and learn more about the rich cultural diversity represented on screen. Also officiating at the opening ceremony were Hua You, deputy commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR; Nicholas Ho Lik-chi, commissioner for the Belt and Road of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau; Muzambli Markam, dean of the ASEAN consuls general in Hong Kong and consul general of Malaysia; along with consuls general or representatives of participating countries.

Chance to connect

Filmmakers at AFF 2026 saw the festival as a gateway to global viewers and to fellow artists from across cultures, with whom future collaboration may bloom.

Malaysian director Ananth Subramaniam, whose short film Bleat! is part of the festival’s New Frequencies series, said he felt “curious and excited” to see how international audiences would react to his work. A film, he said, takes on new layers beyond its home border — and those fresh perspectives often feed back into his work.

Subramaniam also said that film festivals like the AFF are indispensable for filmmakers looking for crossborder co-production opportunities.

The industry will see much more of such partnerships in the years to come.

Whammy Alcazaren from the Philippines, who directed Water Sports and also featured in New Frequencies, described Southeast Asia’s filmmaking community as “siblings”.

“(Geographically) we’re close, all neighbors, and it’s nice to finally knock on our neighbors’ door” through the festival, he said. “And we’re finding that we understand each other more; the bonds are stronger.” Alcazaren added that screening films in Hong Kong has a way of “passing interest back home”, as many audiences often regard an international festival selection as a sign of quality, and that often makes them more likely to invest their time and money in the film.

Hong Kong filmmaker Lai Yan-chi, whose family drama, Band Four, is featured in this year’s festival, has praised the ASEAN Film Festival as a “truly valuable learning experience”.

“The festival focused on Southeast Asia — a region of shared instincts yet distinct cultural specificities,” Lai said. She spoke of the event’s creative reward in “seeking resonance between the known and the foreign”.

Crucially, she added, “after we have watched and learned from one another, the real opportunity lies in translating those insights into practice.” Adnan Al Rajeev — the Bangladeshi director whose film Ali also appears in the New Frequencies program — spoke of the fact that international film festivals like the AFF help films gain recognition from a wider audience.

For individual filmmakers who finance their own projects, the festival circuit offers a chance to be seen and grow, he said.

Myanmar director Pyae Zaw Phyo brought his latest work, I Wanna Be Your Lobster…, to the festival on Aug 21, which is a comingof- age tale that captures the heartbeat of the country’s younger generation via their romances and musical expression.

Pyae Zaw Phyo called himself a “festival enthusiast”, with the emphasis firmly on the networking dividend. “I’ve met many producers from other countries at such festivals,” he said. And Hong Kong, in his view, holds a revered host status as “one of the holy places and inspiration” for the craft — making it a premier stage for platforms dedicated to surfacing Southeast Asia’s most promising directorial talents.

The cultural background, filmmaking style and storytelling pace may have varied widely, but the directors were of one mind that audiences would find something to appreciate and resonate with in their works.

“What we cherish is that films from different cultures may differ in style and substance, yet their emotional core — love, regret, longing — is something that speaks to people everywhere,” said filmmaker Leung.

Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events do not reflect the views of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau or the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency.