2025 can be characterized by the increase in big-budget Asian diaspora cinema. Putting this together is a complicated matter though, especially as the East-West collaborations this year have become more mutually entangled. One trend we have seen is the rise of big-budget, Hollywood diaspora-directed productions that are not about diaspora stories at all — like “Hamnet” (Chloe Zhao) or “The Materialists” (Celine Song).
Conversely, we have also seen a fair amount of trans-Pacific exchanges, especially in Korean and Korean-adjacent productions — such as Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17” and Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet.” Of course, this is all comes at the heels of Netflix’s all-time most-viewed film, “K-POP Demon Hunters” (Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, Sony Animation), which is North America-produced but featured its own fair share of collaborations with major Korean entertainment industry players, like Lee Byung-heon and TWICE.
As we see investment in diaspora directors increase overseas, we are seeing a turn away from typical salt-of-the-earth immigrant tales and an exploration of intercultural exchanges on a budgetary level never seen before.
Without further ado, here are the 13 Asian-American films that stood out, in reverse order. Some of them might have premiered in 2024, but since they mostly circulated in 2025, we decided to include them.
13. Wicked: For Good (Jon M. Chu)
“Wicked 2” may arrive wrapped in spectacle and grandeur, but its real strength lies in how it deepens its moral conflicts, turning a fantasy epic into a resonant meditation on power, consequence, and the cost of choosing who you are in a world determined to define you.
12. Homebound (Neeraj Ghaywan) – Produced by Martin Scorsese
It hits the sweet spot making one feel socially engaged without moving from their seat. It is politically-minded, but not too much so; it is beautifully-filmed, and not shockingly distressing; and the inclusion of the Pandemic gives this melodrama a contemporary kick. (Grace Han)
11. Fucktoys (Annapurna Sriram)
“Fucktoys” is not meant for everyone, but perhaps its most outstanding achievement is the way it makes the grimmest and most potentially disturbing scenes look and sound amusing, sexy, and actually thoughtful. (Mehdi Achouche)
10. Materialists (Celine Song)
“Materialists” is not content to settle for the comforts of romantic familiarity, instead dissecting love, ambition, and modern intimacy with a cool precision that makes its emotional sharpness both unsettling and quietly devastating, revealing how sincerity can survive even in the most transactional of worlds
9. Bitterroot (Vera Brunner-Sung)
“Bitterroot” is not a typical crowd pleaser. It demands the viewer to slow down, and to reflect; it shows us a glimpse into the second-generation of an Asian diaspora community that often does not see much screentime in the United States. (Grace Han)
8. Third Act (Tadashi Nakamura)
Informative, curious, and intimate all at once, “Third Act” takes us on a privileged view of Bob Nakamura: fighter, filmmaker, and father, all at once. (Grace Han)
7. The Wedding Banquet (Andrew Ahn)
Overall, “The Wedding Banquet” is a surprisingly refreshing take on the Ang Lee original. In the same spirit as the original, the characters are informed by their queer, immigrant, and minority identities, but they are not flattened by them (Grace Han)
Both the novel and its big screen adaptation are black and bleak comedies, drawing laughs from scenes of bleeding or vomiting to death for the benefit of the happy few, which is where the movie is at its strongest. (Mehdi Achouche)
To conclude, HIKARI has crafted, with palpable affection, a warm story about disconnection and acceptance that is both accessible to a broad audience and a genuine crowd-pleaser. (Adriana Rosati)
“Little Amélie” is a spectatorial delight. It is sensationally appealing, narratively refreshing, and the animation is a pure pleasure to see on the big screen. (Grace Han)
3. Lucky Lu (Lloyd Lee Choi)
Narratively riveting, visually striking, and beautifully performed, “Lucky Lu” leaves behind the bittersweet aftertaste of hope in the wake of the American Dream. (Grace Han)
“K-Pop Demon Hunters” is visually pleasant to watch even for those not into animation, thanks to the K-pop factor that allows a cross-genre audience to meet at the centre of the story: from K-pop lovers to K-culture aficionados to fantasy connoisseurs.
1. Hamnet (Chloe Zhao)
Like any good film or play, Zhao’s latest casts a spell over its audience. “Hamnet” draws all eyes on-stage in its bid for togetherness, a call for community in this “increasingly lonely world.” (Grace Han)
