HELSINKI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 Helsinki Asian Film Festival (Helsinki Cine Aasia) opened on Thursday, featuring Chinese director Guan Hu's Black Dog as the opening film.
Running until Sunday, the festival will showcase 27 films from across Asia, including China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Kyrgyzstan.
Other Chinese films featured in the lineup include Jia Zhangke's Caught by the Tides, Wen Shipei's Land of Broken Hearts, and Yang Suiyi's Karst.
According to the festival's organizer, this year's selection spans a broader range of countries and genres. In addition to screenings, the festival will host three panel discussions on Asian cinema and culture.
"Asia has a mind-blowingly wide-ranging and colourful film industry. The offerings are so varied that without a doubt, there is something for everyone to watch," said Eija Niskanen, the festival's artistic director.
However, she noted that Asian films remain underrepresented in general theatrical release in Finland, stressing that the event aimed to introduce Finnish audiences to a wider selection of Asian films and highlight the region's diverse and well-developed film industry.
Launched in 2013 and organized by the Asian Cinema Association of Finland, the Helsinki Asian Film Festival is Finland's only festival dedicated to Asian cinema, focusing primarily on films from East and Southeast Asia. This marks the 12th edition of the event.
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