Netflix animation The Monkey King has been set as the closing film of the 22nd New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), marking the first time the festival has partnered with the streaming giant.
The special screening will take place on July 30, more than two weeks before the August 18 premiere on Netflix worldwide. It will be attended by Netflix Animation producer Peilin Chou, a former Oriental Dreamworks executive who produced Abominable and was Oscar-nominated for Over The Moon.
The feature is directed by Anthony Stacchi, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2015 for co-directing The Boxtrolls, and has a voice cast that includes Jimmy O. Yang, Bowen Yang, Jo Koy, Stephanie Hsu and BD Wong. Executive producer is Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer), with animation and imagery by Reel FX.
The animated comedy follows Monkey, who wields a mystical staff on his journey to conquer 100 demons and the eccentric Dragon King. He is joined on his quest by a village girl, who challenges his self-centred attitude.
The family film marks something of a departure for NYAFF, which is known for introducing a wide variety of Asian titles that have not screened widely in the West and range from edgy genre titles, comedy and romance to arthouse fare. However, as a classic Chinese tale told using magical realism and comedy, The Monkey King is not out of place in NYAFF’s 2023 programme.
Peilin, who will introduce the film at New York’s Film at Lincoln Center, said: “In the spirit of Stephen Chow, The Monkey King marries irreverent comedy with thrilling and authentic kung fu action fight sequences that we hope will keep audiences laughing and on the edge of their seats.”
The closing night screening will be preceded by the festival’s Uncaged Awards ceremony, in which this year’s winners will be announced alongside first-looks at upcoming Asian-American live-action and animated titles.
The festival has also revealed that Hong Kong writer-director Cheuk Wan-Chi is set to attend the festival with her film Vital Signs, starring Louis Koo as “the Dirty Harry” of paramedics. Koo will be at NYAFF to receive the Extraordinary Star Asia Award for Exceptional Contribution to Asian Cinema tomorrow (July 19).
Fellow Hong Kong director Lawrence Kan is now also set to attend NYAFF with his film In Broad Daylight, which follows a reporter who investigates alleged abuse in a care home by posing as a patient’s daughter. It is produced by Koo’s One Cool Group.
Further names added to the guestlist include US-based Chinese actress Bai Ling; Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm, best known for Only God Forgives and star of NYAFF selection Kitty The Killer; and Chinese writer-director Liu Siyi, whose feature debut Flaming Cloud will world premiere in competition at the festival.
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