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Written by Sukhbir Cheema
We were recently researching award-winning Asian movies online when we stumbled upon MUBI, a global online streaming platform where you can stream all these films and more for just RM10 a month!
Ista and I thoroughly loved the myriad selection of quality films available on MUBI and the fact that the subscription is so affordable!
We decided to get in touch with MUBI to figure out ways we could collaborate and the result is this recommendation of award-winning Asian films curated by Eksentrika and sponsored by MUBI.
We spent some time sifting through many films, painfully omitting some to come to this curated list of 10 Asian movies online that you’ll most likely appreciate and enjoy nowhere else but on MUBI.
Oh, there’s also a cool surprise somewhere in this post!
Editor’s Note: Click on the titles of these award-winning Asian films to immediately stream them on MUBI.
Awards Won
Silver Bear for Best Actor and Best Actress (69th Berlin International Film Festival), Best Writing, Best Actor, Best Actress (32nd Golden Rooster Awards), Grand Prix, International Competition (Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF))
Why You Should Watch It
Spanning three decades, So Long, My Son tells the story of two Chinese families who become estranged in the 1980s as China opens its doors to the world to eventually become an economic powerhouse.
The film, directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, is particularly noted for the performance of its two main casts, Wang Jingchun and Yong Mei, courtesy of a powerful screenplay written by both A Mei and Wang Xiaoshuai.
Economy geeks and history buffs would likely enjoy this film as it reveals how both families became impacted by China’s economic reforms and the controversial one-child policy.
Awards Won
Un Certain Regard – Jury Prize (61st Cannes Film Festival), Jury Prize (44th Chicago International Film Festival), Best Film, Best Screenwriter (3rd Asian Film Awards) Best Cinematographer (30th Yokohama Film Festival), Best Director (23rd Mar del Plata Festival), Best Asian Film (10th Arab Asian Film Festival), Best Asian Film (9th Utica Film Festival), Best Film, Best Director (4th Osaka Cinema Festival), Best Leading Actress (33rd Hochi Film Awards), Best Leading Actress, Best New Actor (82nd Kinema Junpo Awards).
Why You Should Watch It
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a popular horror filmmaker but Tokyo Sonata showcased his talent in creating an immersive family drama with deep, memorable characters.
The focus of the film is on a middle-class Japanese family that gradually spirals into dysfunctionality when the head of the family, played by Teruyuki Kagawa, loses his job but keeps it a secret.
Tokyo Sonata also saw Kyōko Koizumi receive critical acclaim for her performance as Megumi Sasaki, a character struggling to keep her family intact.
Awards Won
Special Jury Prize (International Competition at the Jeonju International Film Festival).
Why You Should Watch It
Set in the early 1990s during the fall of the Soviet Union, this coming-of-age award-winning Asian film by Emir Baigazin portrays Kazakhstan’s transition from a Soviet-era to a new state through the eyes of four teenagers.
The Wounded Angel is a follow-up to Emir’s first full-length film, Harmony Lessons, and forms the second part of a visually stunning trilogy about young people of Kazakhstan, dealing with complex relationships and morality.
Awards Won
Golden Leopard for Best Film (Locarno Film Festival), Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Editing (38th Gawad Urian Awards)
Why You Should Watch It
Directed by one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary Filipino filmmakers, Lav Diaz, From What Is Before is set in a remote town in the Philippines during Ferdinand E. Marcos’ dictatorship in the 1970s.
Strange things take place in the town as Marcos announces Proclamation No. 1081 to place the Philippines under Martial Law and pave the way for the Armed Forces to camp in the remote town.
The supernatural film was well-received locally and internationally with many praising Diaz’s direction and script. In fact, MUBI has a collection of award-winning Asian movies online that were directed by Diaz.
Awards Won
Best First Film (International Film Festival Rotterdam), Special Jury Prize – International Competition (Mar del Plata International Film Festival), NETPAC Award (Busan International Film Festival), KTH Award (Busan International Film Festival), Directors Guild of Korea Award (Busan International Film Festival), Citizen Critics’ Award (Busan International Film Festival), Golden Eye – Best International Feature Film (Zurich Film Festival), Prize of the City of Torino – Best Feature Film (Torino Film Festival), New Talent Award (Hong Kong Asian Film Festival).
Why You Should Watch It
Film critic Seongyong Cho lauded Moving On as the best Korean film for 2020 when reviewing the film for Roger Ebert.
Directed by acclaimed female South Korean filmmaker Yoon Dan-Bi, the independent film is centered on two kids who are forced to live in their grandfather’s house following the failure of their father’s business venture.
The film has been described as “moving” with many praising young Choi Jung-woon’s performance, making it one of the more memorable Asian movies online.
Awards Won
Caméra d’Or, Audience Award (Cannes Film Festival), New Generation Award (Los Angeles Film Critics Association), Top foreign films (National Board of Review), Best Foreign-Language Film (Boston Society of Film Critics), Lilian Gish Award (Excellence in Feature Film) (Los Angeles Women in Film Festival), Jury Prize, Air Canada Award for Most Popular Film of the Festival, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Montreal World Film Festival), Best Feature Film in Hindi, Best Child Artist (National Film Awards) Prix du Public (Annonay International Film Festival)
Why You Should Watch It
Directed and co-written by Mira Nair, Salaam Bombay! was the Indian-American filmmaker’s first feature film that went on to win numerous awards.
The film was inspired by the daily lives of children living in the slums of India’s largest city and home of crime, Bombay (now Mumbai).
Film critics particularly praised the film for its cultural and social impact while analysing the lives of slum children in an empathic manner. Salaam Bombay! is just one of the many Asian movies online available on MUBI.
Awards Won
Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Story, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing (25th Malaysia Film Festival), Best Film, Best Screenplay (Anugerah Skrin 2012), Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor (Kuala Lumpur Film Critics Society Awards 2012), NETPAC Award (Golden Horse Film Festival).
Why You Should Watch It
Touted as one of the best Malaysian-made films in the recent decade, yet Bunohan: Return to Murder by Dain Said, was a close shave to not having been made at all, as the filmmaker had struggled to find funding for his film.
The film is one of the few Malaysian films depicting characters from Kelantan and not only explores the country’s love for superstition but also the socioeconomic repercussions of corruption, making it among the unique Asian movies online.
Awards Won
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Why You Should Watch It
Apichatpong Weerasethakul is an award-winning filmmaker from Thailand who was challenged to make a short 20-minute film through a unique technique: the LomoKino.
The technique utilises a hand-cranked film camera. While Ashes didn’t bag any awards, it did screen at the Cannes Film Festival and Göteborg Film Festival in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
If you’re watching this, keep a lookout for a Tilda Swinton cameo!
Awards Won
NETPAC Award (Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards), Silver Montgolfiere, Young Audience Award (Nantes Three Continents Festival), FIPRESCI Prize (International Film Festival Rotterdam), NETPAC Award Special Mention (Singapore International Film Festival).
Why You Should Watch It
After a string of critically acclaimed short films, Indonesian filmmaker Edwin released Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly, his first full-length film.
Despite winning multiple awards abroad, the film didn’t perform well locally at the box office despite its critical examination of Indonesian society.
Thankfully, Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly is now among the many award-winning Asian movies online on MUBI.
Awards Won
Grand Jury Prize, Acting Award, Narrative Feature Audience Award (Slamdance Film Festival).
Why You Should Watch It
With a run time of only 45-minutes, KEFF’s dystopian take on Taiwanese society has had many film critics buzzing on IMDB due to the fact that this award-winning Asian film is able to unpack so many emotions in such little time.
This film focuses on a receptionist at a suicide hotel in Taipei who befriends a guest grappling with the decision to continue or end living.
If you’re into films that explore existentialist themes, this might be the right fit.
DISCOVER MORE FILM-RELATED ARTICLES HERE:
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Cover image for 10 Best Asian Movies Online You Must Watch At Least Once In Your Life sourced from MUBI.
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