EXCLUSIVE: New York Asian Film Festival is celebrating its 25th edition with the North American premiere of Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony as its opening night film. 

Yeon’s zombie thriller, which is receiving its world premiere here in Cannes’ Midnight Screenings section, stars Gianna Jun (My Sassy Girl) as a biotechnology professor attending a conference where a terrifying virus breaks out. Korean studio Showbox has already sold the film to more than 120 territories, including Well Go USA for North America. 

In addition to screening Colony at NYAFF, Yeon will also present a new 4K restoration of Train To Busan, one of his first films to reinvent the zombie genre, in celebration of the film’s 10th anniversary. 

Well Go USA is releasing both films theatrically later this summer, beginning with the 4K re-release of Train To Busan on August 14, before Colony arrives in theaters on August 28.

NYAFF is taking place July 10-26, 2026, at the Lincoln Center, SVA Theatre, Look Cinemas and Korean Cultural Center New York. 

“Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony introduces a new physical grammar for the zombies, formally revolutionary and viscerally tense, and unlike anything else in the genre right now,” said NYAFF President Samuel Jamier.

“Opening NYAFF’s 25th edition alongside a 10th-anniversary 4K restoration of Train To Busan, both courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment, this event marks the most contagious moment for Korean genre cinema in New York since Train To Busan first arrived a decade ago.”

Doris Pfardrescher, President and CEO of Well Go USA Entertainment, said: “As NYAFF celebrates its 25th anniversary, there’s no more fitting way to honor the festival’s legacy than by showcasing one of the defining filmmakers in modern genre cinema.

“We’re thrilled to have the North American premiere of Colony alongside a special 4K revival of Train To Busan, a landmark work that forever changed the zombie genre. For 25 years, NYAFF has championed bold, visionary Asian cinema, and these two films represent exactly the kind of unforgettable theatrical experiences the festival was built to celebrate.”

Presented by the New York Asian Film Foundation in collaboration with Film at Lincoln Center since 2010, NYAFF has evolved into North America’s leading festival dedicated to Asian film culture. Starting out as a genre-focused festival, championing the early works of then-rising filmmakers such as Johnnie To and Bong Joon Ho, it has grown into the largest Asian cinema showcase in North America, with more than 20,000 attendees.

In recent years, the festival has also screened the work of internationally acclaimed contemporary auteurs, as well as introducing emerging filmmakers from developing countries and underrepresented regions across Asia. 

Last year’s edition featured eight world premieres, more than 75 North American premieres, and 17 filmmakers making their directorial debuts. Guests at the 24th edition included Tadanobu Asano, Heo Sung-tae, Ekin Cheng, Lisa Lu, and rising star Natalie Hsu, with more than 30 filmmakers participating in post-screening discussions throughout the festival.

The festival’s Uncaged Competition – which highlights visionary filmmakers challenging cinematic conventions – last year handed its top award for Best Feature Film to Family Matters, from Taiwanese filmmaker Pan Ke-Yin.

The Way We Talk, from Hong Kong’s Adam Wong, won the Audience Award, while Skin Of Youth, from Vietnam’s Ash Mayfair, received the Special Jury Award.

NYAFF will announce the full line-up for the 2026 edition, including special guests, anniversary screenings and restorations, in coming weeks.