Every year, Fantasia Film Festival serves up a buffet of genre cinema from across the globe—and 2025 is no different. From soul-crushing time loops and brutal street fights to courtroom carnage and demon exorcisms, this year’s international lineup is stacked with films that don’t just push boundaries—they bulldoze them. If you’re looking to dive into the boldest stories from Asia, here are the titles from Fantasia Film Festival 2025 that should be on your radar.
Blazing Fists (Japan · Takashi Miike)
Takashi Miike doing a coming-of-age MMA sports drama? I’m all in. Blazing Fists dials down the chaos (just a little) for a bruising but heartfelt story about two teens trying to punch their way out of the juvenile system and into the pro fight circuit. Miike’s trademark energy is still here, just channeled into raw grit, redemption arcs, and yes, plenty of cracked ribs.
Good Game (Hong Kong · Dickson Leung Kwok-Fai)
Imagine Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, but with esports instead of dodgeball, and you’re close to what Good Game is serving. A washed-up internet café owner assembles a scrappy esports squad in a last-ditch effort to win big. It’s absurd, endearing, and clearly made by someone who gets the thrill of gaming as both sport and spectacle. Count me in.
Stuntman (Hong Kong · Albert & Herbert Leung)
If you’ve ever marveled at a behind-the-scenes stunt reel from classic Hong Kong action films, then Stuntman should hit like a wake-up call. It’s a love letter to stuntwork rolled into one. This sharp industry drama pits old-school danger against modern-day safety in the world of Hong Kong action filmmaking. It’s got emotional weight, high-impact set pieces, and an apparent reverence for the bruised-and-bloodied legends who built the genre.
Rewrite (Japan · Daigo Matsui)
Fantasia and Japanese time-loop films go hand in hand, and Rewrite looks like the next one to make us feel good. A wistful blend of sci-fi and first love, it’s about memory, legacy, and the novel that connects a girl’s past and future. If It’s a Summer Film! and Penalty Loop hit you like they hit me, you’ll want to be in this loop too.
Sham (Japan · Takashi Miike)
Miike returns (again!) with a legal thriller that’s more terrifying than his horror films. Sham tackles media hysteria, cancel culture, and the Kafkaesque nightmare of public shame with clinical precision and gut-punching realism. It’s a film that should provide further proof that Miike can still shock us, just in new ways.
Holy Night: Demon Hunters (South Korea · Lim Dae-hee)
Don Lee punching demons. That’s it. That’s the pitch. Okay, fine—there’s also a slick exorcist squad, possessed victims, and a healthy dose of horror-meets-action mayhem in this webtoon adaptation. Holy Night is tailor-made for Fantasia’s midnight crowd: loud, wild, and wickedly fun. Hopefully, Don has better luck with demons than he did with zombies.
The Verdict (Indonesia · Lee Chang-hee & Yusron Fuadi)
A brutal takedown of corruption dressed as a courtroom thriller, The Verdict doesn’t hold back. What starts as a procedural spirals into a bloody, cathartic finale—think Dog Day Afternoon meets John Wick: Legal Edition. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the kind of edge-of-your-seat flick that’ll engage you throughout.
Haunted Mountains: The Yellow Taboo (Taiwan · Tsai Chia Ying)
This one’s giving me serious Detention vibes—in the best way. Inspired by one of Taiwan’s creepiest urban legends, Haunted Mountains blends folk horror and time-loop tragedy into a slow-burn chiller that’s equal parts terrifying and tender. Taiwanese horror is having a moment, and this film feels like the next evolution of that wave.
For a schedule of screenings for the other films at the festival, go here.
Fantasia Film Festival 2025 runs from July 16th to August 3rd.
