Europe

VENICE 2026: Titles Selected From Asia Pacific & Africa

Staff writers

23 Jul 2026 — 2 min read

Look Back

UPDATED: Below is a list of films selected for the main sections of Venice Film Festival originating from or mostly filmed in Asia Pacific and Africa (or from filmmakers originating from these regions but based elsewhere) with sales agents and nationalities of co-production partners where known. See here for the Locarno line-up. More soon on line-ups for Toronto and San Sebastian. This list is a work in progress so please DM me if you have updates or additions.

VENICE FILM FESTIVAL (SEPTEMBER 2-12)

COMPETITION:

A Bit Of Light (Iran, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Türkiye)
Dir: Ali Asgari
Int'l sales: Salaud Morisset

Look Back (Japan)
Dir: Hirokazu Koreeda
Int’l sales: Goodfellas
NA Distribution: Gkids

Possible Love (South Korea)
Dir: Lee Chang-Dong
Int’l rights: Netflix

Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? (Japan)
Dir: Shinya Tsukamoto
Prod Cos: Kinoshita Group, Kino Films

ORIZZONTI:

The Burning Giants (Thailand, Singapore, France, Netherlands)
Dir: Phuttiphone Aroonpheng
Int'l sales: Lucky Number

Falling House (Iran)
Dir: Mohsen Gharaei
Int’l sales: Paradise City Sales

The Difficult Bride (Bangladesh, France, Portugal, Norway, Germany)
Dir: Rubaiyat Hossain
Int’l sales: Films Boutique

Lovers In The Blue Night (India)
Dir: Anuparna Roy
Prod Cos: Khan & Kumar Media, Ammi Media

Big Little Things (Hong Kong, US)
Dir: Michelle Zhou
Int’l sales: Moebius Entertainment

OUT OF COMPETITION, FICTION:

Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors (Philippines)
Dir: Lav Diaz
Prods: Montgomery Blencowe, Bianca Balbuena

No Paradise If You Are Killed By A Woman (Norway)
Dir: Halkawat Mustafa
Prod Co: Hene Films

Arrested Memory (Japan, Taiwan)
Dir: Sabu
Int’l sales: Lucky Number

OUT OF COMPETITION, FILM ON FILMS:

Intermission (Hong Kong)
Dir: Yonfan
Prod Co: Yonfan Studio

OUT OF COMPETITION, NON-FICTION:

The Road To Jericho (France, UK, Israel)
Dir: Amos Gitai

Citizen Osama (Palestine, France, Qatar)
Dir: Ahmed Hassouna
Prod Cos: Masharawi Fund for Films & Filmmakers, Coorigines Production

Shumei – The Living Legacy Of Kabuki (Japan)
Dir: Takashi Miike
Prod Co: K2 Pictures

Dust (Taiwan)
Dir: Tsai Ming-Liang

VENICE SPOTLIGHT:

Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing (UK, Denmark, Japan)
Dir: Erik Shirai
Prod Cos: Rise Films, Real Lava, Generation 11

Conversation With The Sea (Palestine, Qatar)
Dir: Muayad Alayan
Int'l sales: Mad Word

Guria (Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria)
Dir: Levan Koguashvili
Prod Cos: Kino Iberica, Cineworx, Tarantula, ArtFest

VENICE CRITICS WEEK:

The H@llow Man (Tunisia)
Dir: Kamel Laaridhi
Prod Cos: Inside Production, Room 420, Good Tone Studio

Our Share Of Sand (India, UK, Greece)
Dir. Shalini Adnani
Int’l sales: Global Constellation

Zoom In, Zoom Out (China)
Dir. Dong Jie
Prod: Cao Shanshan