(Photo: Courtesy of The New York Asian Film Festival)

Instead of programming yet another slate of quiet art-house dramas, the New York Asian Film Festival has become one of the city’s most exciting film events by celebrating excess: innovative, sometimes baffling, often whiplash-stylish Asian pop that expands your sense of what’s possible on a movie screen. This year’s downright-crazy-ass lineup (June 22 to July 8 at the IFC Center and Japan Society) fêtes some prestige films (like The Banquet), for sure, but you can skip those: Instead, gross out at Aachi & Ssipak, a postapocalyptic Korean ’toon version of Urinetown; goth up with Japan’s manga-based Death Note blockbusters; laugh yourself scared with Pakistan’s first slasher flick, Hell’s Ground. And don’t miss I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (pictured), a mesmerizing romance from Oldboy’s vengeance-obsessed director Park Chan-wook.

Related:

• Archive: “Movie Features”
• Articles by Logan Hill
• Table of Contents: June 25, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!