Asian Cinema in 2024: A Landmark Year

2024 proved once again that the most exciting, innovative, and emotionally resonant cinema in the world is being made across Asia. From Korean genre films to Japanese animation and Southeast Asian arthouse cinema, here are the standout films of the year across the continent.

Korean Films (한국 영화)

Exhuma (파묘, 2024)

The most talked-about Korean film of the year. A shaman and a geomancer are hired to relocate a wealthy family's ancestral grave — and uncover something ancient and terrifying in the process. Director Jang Jae-hyun weaves Korean folklore, colonial history, and genuine horror into a film that works on multiple levels simultaneously. A must-see.

12.12: The Day (서울의 봄, 2023 — international wide release 2024)

A gripping political thriller recreating the 1979 military coup attempt in Korea. Intense, technically masterful, and devastatingly relevant. Became one of the highest-grossing Korean films of all time domestically.

Japanese Films

Godzilla Minus One (ゴジラ -1.0, 2023 — global peak 2024)

Though released in late 2023, this film conquered global cinema well into 2024 — winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. A post-WWII Godzilla story that is genuinely about trauma, guilt, and survival. The most emotionally powerful Godzilla film ever made.

The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか)

Hayao Miyazaki's return to feature filmmaking is a dense, dreamlike, and deeply personal meditation on grief, creativity, and the act of storytelling itself. Divisive but unforgettable — essential for any Ghibli fan.

Pan-Asian Highlights

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (ดูแลสักพัก, Thailand, 2024)

A Thai dramedy about a young man who moves in with his terminally ill grandmother hoping to inherit her fortune — only to undergo a genuine transformation. Funny, heartbreaking, and beautifully observed. One of the most emotionally effective Asian films in years.

All of Us Strangers (UK/Japan inspired, Jonathan Haigh — 2024)

While not a purely Asian production, this film's deep roots in Japanese source material (Strangers by Taichi Yamada) make it essential for fans of Japanese literary cinema.

What Connects These Films

The best Asian films of 2024 share a willingness to engage with history, grief, and cultural identity in ways that feel specific and universal at the same time. Whether it's Korea's reckoning with colonial history in Exhuma or Thailand's tender examination of family in How to Make Millions, these films trust their audiences to feel deeply and think carefully.

Where to Watch

  • Exhuma — Netflix
  • 12.12: The Day — Netflix
  • Godzilla Minus One — Netflix
  • The Boy and the Heron — Max (HBO Max)
  • How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies — Netflix (select regions)

Asian cinema continues to push the boundaries of what genre films can achieve emotionally and thematically. If you've been primarily watching K-dramas, 2024 is the perfect year to expand into the wider world of Asian film.