From karate duels to animated mermaids: here are five must-see films at this year's Hong Kong Asian Film Festival

To help you make the most out of the experience, Young Post has flipped through the 84-page programme booklet and selected a good mix of five movies for you. 

The Empty Hands follows Mari Hirakawa (Stephy Tang), the daughter of a karate coach, who must win a duel against her late father’s pupil Chan Keung (Chapman To) to take back ownership of half her father’s dojo, despite her reluctance to do karate. With a black belt in real life, local comedic actor To reveals his passion for sports by taking up the roles of director, producer and stunt director. Watch for Tang to shine in a non-romantic and action-oriented role.

End of Summer is a coming-of-age drama set in a small southern town in China, 1998, when the country was undergoing great changes. Wanting to sign up for the school soccer team, Grade Five student Xiaoyang teams up with his neighbour Grandpa Zheng to resist his controlling father. In reminiscing about his formative years, the Chinese director Zhou Quan tells a bittersweet story of human connections by bridging the three struggling males from three different generations. 

The documentary Kedi, which means cats in Turkish, revolves around seven Istanbul streets cats of distinctive characters, from Sari the hustler to the charismatic Deniz. In addition to the lovely stories told by the locals who watched over the stray cats, director Cedya Torun also takes a deep look at the relationship between the metropolis and the hundreds of thousands of cats which have wandered around the ancient city for thousands of years. 

In this Japanese magical fantasy animation, junior high school student Kai moves from Tokyo to the quiet fishing town of Hinashi where he later encounters the young inquisitive mermaid Lu whose keen interest in his music will transform his life. Awarded the Best Feature Film in the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (the Oscars of animation films), Yuasa Masaaki’s first original feature film  won't disappoint, and will spoil its audience with bubbly visuals and catchy pop music.

The White Girl follows the sun-allergic musician the White Girl (Angela Yuen) who resides in the Pearl Village, the last fishing village in Hong Kong. She wants to escape from her manipulative father and bumps into an enigmatic Japanese outsider Sakamoto (Odagiri Joe) who broadens her horizons, while her only friend Ho Zai (Jeff Yiu) uncovers the collusion between the village chief and the visiting property developers. Filmed in Tai O on Lantau Island, this collaboration  between world-renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle and Hong Kong director Jenny Suen is aesthetically pleasing and emotionally captivating. 

Where: Broadway Cinematheque, Broadway The ONE, PALACE apm, My Cinema YOHO Mall, AMC Pacific Place and PALACE IFC. Grab your tickets at the Broadway Circuit website today.