News
Below is a list of films selected for Cannes Official Selection, Critics Week and Directors Fortnight 2026 originating from, set in or mostly filmed in Asia, Africa and the Middle East (or from filmmakers originating from these regions but based elsewhere) with sales agents and nationalities of co-production partners where
Project Markets
Focus Asia has selected 13 projects for the 2026 edition of All Genres Project Market and six projects for Far East in Progress.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Kangdrun’s Linka Linka was awarded Best Film in the Firebird Awards’ Young Cinema Competition (Chinese Language) at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), while Markus Schleinzer’s Rose won Best Film in the Young Cinema Competition (World) category. Linka Linka, which was also awarded the FIPRESCI
The Secret Agent, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Mortal Kombat 2 are among the films dated for China release in coming weeks.
One of Asia’s most vibrant content markets, Indonesia continued to see strong theatrical recovery in 2025 and early 2026, mostly driven by local features, along with a streaming sector that is growing in terms of both paid subscriptions and viewing hours. But it’s also a market that suffers
UPDATED MARCH 5: Dates for film and TV festivals and markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, along with the major film and TV events in Europe and North America. Some major events in the region have yet to confirm their 2026 dates. Streamlined will keep updating this list
Philippine cinema had a strong start to 2026 with titles screening and winning awards at the three big winter international film festivals – Sundance, Rotterdam and Berlin. But back at home, the Philippines is among the Asian territories in which box office recovery has been slow since the pandemic, and while
The insider view on the content industries of Asia, Africa & the Middle East
The list below highlights noteworthy Southeast Asian film projects in various stages of production, along with films that have premiered at international film festivals from Berlin 2026 onwards. Nationality of the director is in brackets after their names, but nationality of the projects is harder to determine as most are
Screen Australia has announced $20.4m of production and development funding across 91 narrative projects, including the first projects through its new Short Film Production Funding Program. Among the titles is debut feature The Laugh Of Lakshmi, written and directed by S. Shakthidharan and produced by John Maynard (Balibo) and
The Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim world’s Ramadan month of fasting, is a peak box office season in many territories around the world. This year, the holiday is coinciding with the US-Iran conflict, an issue for the Gulf territories which have been under retaliatory
This edition of Streamlined is coming to you from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in Southwest China, the latest stop on my digital nomad tour – more on both China and my nomad life later. Everyone I’ve met so far in Chengdu has been very friendly, but I do
The Secret Agent, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Mortal Kombat 2 are among the films dated for China release in coming weeks.
A collection of rare Korean films, produced by Chung Chang-wha’s Whapung Films in the 1980s, is being restored and offered for international sales by French film curator and producer Frédéric Ambroisine. The restoration and sales of 13 films, produced by Whapung Films between 1979 and 1985, is being developed
HAF In Development Project Awards went to Vincci Cheuk’s 38.83 and Vulnerable Observer from Jiang Xiaoxuan.
Hubert Bals Fund has selected five projects for the 2025 round of its HBF+Europe Minority Co-pro scheme, and three for its HBF+ Europe Post scheme.
One of Asia’s most vibrant content markets, Indonesia continued to see strong theatrical recovery in 2025 and early 2026, mostly driven by local features, along with a streaming sector that is growing in terms of both paid subscriptions and viewing hours. But it’s also a market that suffers
UPDATED MARCH 5: Dates for film and TV festivals and markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, along with the major film and TV events in Europe and North America. Some major events in the region have yet to confirm their 2026 dates. Streamlined will keep updating this list
Another Turkish film, Emin Alper's Salvation, picked up the Grand Jury Prize, while Lance Hammer's Queen At Sea won two prizes.
