19th edition of the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
The 19th edition of Five Flavours, symbolised by Wood Snake and organised in a hybrid format, took place on the following dates:
- 12–19 November 2025, in Warsaw cinemas — Muranów and Kinoteka — as well as, for the first time, at Kinomuzeum at the Museum of Modern Art;
- 12–30 November 2025, across Poland on the festival’s online platform.
It was an exceptional and, in many respects, record-breaking edition of Five Flavours — both in terms of its programme and audience attendance. Over 11,000 people visited Warsaw cinemas, while 24,500 viewers watched films online. Counting the screenings in Warsaw, the online edition, and festival’s regional replicas in Poznań, Wrocław, Gdańsk and Łódź, films from the programme of 19th Five Flavours were watched 40,000 times in total.
The Wood Snake, patron of 19th edition, inaugurated a new cycle of a refreshed visual identity, once again designed by Przemysław Ostaszewski.
Programme
The 19th edition of Five Flavours confirmed that the strength of Asian cinema lies in its diversity. The programme was presented across eight thematic sections, reflecting the pulse of Asian cinema — both artistic and commercial. The final selection featured as many as 51 films from 14 Asian countries, 35 of which were available online. Audiences had the opportunity to explore the highs and lows of coming of age in South Korea, the migration choices of people seeking to change their lives, as well as immerse themselves in neon-lit 1980s Japan and travel across the dimensions of Asian sci-fi.
A new addition was the “Aftertastes” online section, offering audiences the chance to revisit films that had previously only been screened in Warsaw cinemas but deserve wider attention from viewers all over Poland.
Film Index
Author of the trailer and music: Julek Płoski
Film sections of the 19th edition of the Festival
New Asian Cinema
Competition section, comprising 11 films, and serving as a barometer of contemporary Asian cinema. It showcases the work of emerging filmmakers whose talent and sensitivity leave little doubt that they represent the future of the Asian film industries. The winner of the 19th Five Flavours was selected by the People’s Jury, a group of enthusiasts of Asian cinema who travelled to Warsaw from across Europe.
Asian Cinerama
Five Flavours is not solely dedicated to the arthouse cinema. The Asian Cinerama section presents films that have proven most popular in Asian cinemas and during the festival season. These mainstream offerings included both crime stories and deeply moving dramas — films that bring an element of fun and pure enjoyment to the programme, delivering emotion and spectacle to audiences.
Japan 80s
A section that allowed audiences to immerse themselves in one of the most creative, prolific, electrifying and untamed decades in the history of Japanese cinema — the 1980s. The carefully curated programme featured restored works by cult masters of auteur and independent cinema such as Shinji Sōmai, Yoshimitsu Morita, Macoto Tezuka, Mamoru Oshii and Nobuhiko Ōbayashi. In an era of renewed fascination with Japan, Japan 80s introduced Polish audiences to a previously little-known face of Japanese pop culture.
K-Youth
Korean cinema has long been an important element of Five Flavours’ identity, and youth in Korean film is a recurring motif — like a refrain filled with energy, rebellion and unspoken emotion. In 2026, audiences were able to see how Korean filmmakers have depicted coming of age across the decades. The programme presented a panorama of experiences — from the 1980s, when young Koreans confronted an oppressive political reality and the suffocating atmosphere of the system, to contemporary productions highlighting the darker side of the K-pop industry and the painful pressure of success.
Asian Sci-Fi
Although science fiction cinema is not commonly associated with Asia, many film industries in the region have, for decades, demonstrated that the genre can take on entirely new forms in a local context. UFOs, time travel, alternative realities and dystopian visions of the future — in Asia these familiar motifs gain freshness through local beliefs, cultural dynamics and region-specific sensibilities. Asian Sci-Fi is a section in which Japan and China stood face to face in a symbolic duel — a clash of two giants presenting contrasting genre strategies, from the dystopian experiments of Chinese cinema to Japanese explorations of time and postmodern fantasy.
Focus: Migration
A cinematic journey centred on the experience of movement — voluntary and forced, individual and collective. Migration shapes contemporary societies in East and Southeast Asia, embedding multiculturalism and a richness of identities, but also generating various tensions. It is no longer possible to define social structures within simple national frameworks. The films presented in this section explore the search for roots, portraying people living at the intersection of cultures and languages, striving to find connection despite exclusion and a sense of not belonging.
Restored Classics
In 2026, the focus was placed on Hong Kong classics, many of which remain largely unknown in Poland. This section fulfilled the dreams of cinephiles, presenting cinematic masterpieces that have not only stood the test of time, but which, when interpreted from a contemporary perspective, become entirely new cultural texts — works essential to understanding both independent and commercial cinema today.
Aftertastes
Films from the Five Flavours universe that somehow resonated with curated sections of the 19th edition, and returned to the festival programme for online screenings only. Aftertastes was a gesture towards audiences outside Warsaw, granting them access to films that had previously been shown exclusively in cinemas.
Opening and Closing Films
The 19th edition of Five Flavours highlighted the richness and diversity of Hong Kong cinema. The festival opened with the film “The Way We Talk”, the final instalment of Adam Wong’s trilogy. The physical edition of the festival concluded with a screening of “The Last Dance”, directed by Anselm Chan – the biggest box office success in the history of Hong Kong cinema - a moving depiction of a society striving to preserve its identity while balancing between tradition and modernisation.
Winners of the 19th Five Flavours
The People’s Jury of the 19th Asian Film Festival Five Flavours consisted of: Chloe Sit, Emily Jisoo, Runqi Luo, Rino Lu, Gijs Suy, Karolina Zdunek, Katarzyna Zając, Maria Sukow and Paula Wasiluk.
The New Asian Cinema Competition once again belonged to Southeast Asia. The Jury has decided to award the Grand Prix of the 19th Five Flavors Festival to "An Errand", directed by Dominic Bekaert — a Filipino debut feature set in a dreamlike neo-noir atmosphere. A Special Mention was awarded to the Malaysian film "Pavane for an Infant", directed by Chong Keat Aun.
The Jagoda Murczyńska Competition
The 19th edition of Five Flavours was accompanied by the second edition of the Jagoda Murczyńska Competition. The jury — Blanka Dżugaj, Miłosz Stelmach and Weronika Truszczyńska — awarded first prize to Maria Dutkiewicz for her essay "Work Without Meaning, Meaning Without Work: On Tokyo Sonata by Kiyoshi Kurosawa". Second prize went to Marta Tychowska for text titled "The End-of-the-World Generation — The Catastrophic Trilogy of Makoto Shinkai". Honourable mentions were awarded to Arkadiusz Koziorowski and Daria Oksytiuk. The awards ceremony preceded a screening dedicated to the memory of Jagoda of the Chinese film "Her Story".
Festival Guests
Five Flavours offers a wonderful opportunity to meet outstanding guests from Asia. In 2026, artists from South Korea, Hong Kong and Bangladesh, amongst others, travelled to Warsaw to present their films to Warsaw's audiences. The 19th edition of the festival was attended not only by directors, but also by members of the cast and even a legendary producer.
Guests of the 19th edition:
Adam Wong — director of the Hong Kong film "The Way We Talk";
Park Ri-woong — director of the Korean film "The Land of Morning Calm";
Lau Kek-huat — director of the Taiwanese film "The Waves Will Carry Us";
Mahde Hasan — director of the Bangladeshi film "Sand City";
Sun Namkoong — director of the Korean film "Time To Be Strong";
Jang Man-min — director of the Korean film "Silver Apricot";
Na Ae-jin — actress starring in the Korean film "Silver Apricot";
Kim Sa-wol — a music director and composer of the score for "Silver Apricot";
Shin Chul — producer of the Korean film "My Sassy Girl" and director of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN);
Bastian Meiresonne — author of the book "Hallyuwood: The Ultimate Guide to Korean Cinema".
More about the festival guests
Asian Academy
A series of events dedicated to sharing knowledge of Asian cinema through special programmes — debates, discussions and in-depth conversations expanding on the themes explored in the films, featuring experts and enthusiasts of Asian cultures. The programme included talks on the phenomenon of Korean cinema, feminism in China, literary science fiction, migration in Asia and cinema's accessibility. The hybrid form of the Asian Academy included podcasts and online conversations with filmmakers.
Additional Materials
Five Flavours mission extends beyond solely presenting films. Its goal in equal measure is to provide audiences with substantial contextual materials that help deepen understanding of cultural and social themes presented in the film programme. Each year, the festival’s team prepares a rich repository of content — video introductions, expert essays, podcasts and interviews with filmmakers. Among the in-depth video Q&A conducted in 2025 were conversations with the Grand Prix winner Dominic Bekaert, director of "An Errand", as well as with Macoto Tezuka.
Festival partners and sponsors
The 19th Asian Film Festival Five Flavours was co-funded by the City of Warsaw, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Polish Film Institute, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Berlin, Create HK, HK Film Development Fund, Korean Cultural Center in Warsaw, the Korean Film Archive and Japan Foundation.
Partners: Kino Muranów, Kinoteka, Kinomuzeum, Pracownia Szumu
Media partners: Zwierciadło, K Mag, Wysokie Obcasy, Wyborcza.pl, Filmweb, Onet, Pełna Sala, Filmawka, Czas Kultury
Special thanks: Fundacja Kultury bez Barier, Fundacja Kino Dostępne, Linh Nguyen, Asia Travel, Kabak, Amondo, Tajfuny, ZNAK
