Films from China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia and South Korea, but also from the Netherlands, Canada, Costa Rica and Germany. With one unifying theme: Asia. They can be seen in Amsterdam in the coming days, at the 20th edition of the Cinemasia Festival.

This includes dozens of films, with special program sections dedicated to short films and “Dutch Asian Classics”. Cinemasia fills a need, says founder Doris Young, on opening night at Studio K, one of three cinemas where Cinemasia films.

“Twenty years ago you didn’t see Asians on TV or in movies in the Netherlands, just stereotypes. Sambale, restaurants… In America, the conversation about representation and diversity was really happening at that time.”

She points out that there are one million people of Asian origin in the Netherlands. “But you never get Asian stories here.” Although the festival has been around for twenty years, it is still necessary to put these stories on the agenda, Young believes. “The conversation about inclusivity and diversity is just beginning.”

Those attending the opening evening confirm that they realize a lot about the program. “I’m Asian, so it’s always great to see that culture reflected in a cinematic way. “Because of the recognition, actually,” says one visitor.

“The great thing about Asian films is that there is still a lot of room for experimentation,” says another. “A lot of these film industries are still new, and want to prove themselves. Every country has its own style, so there’s huge diversity and that’s still great.”

Last night’s opening film was a Dutch production: Happy Palace Directed by Nicole van Kelsdonk, with a classic theme: the old “chin”. Indiana. Rest, the Chinese-Indian restaurant that is considered a cultural heritage in the Netherlands. A brother and sister grow up here, returning to work after their father’s sudden death.

“This is a drama, this is a comedy,” co-writer Yang Ting Yuen says of the film, which was screened at a recently closed restaurant in Sharwood. “It’s an Indian-Chinese restaurant, yes, but in a completely different way than the cliché.” The film’s cast is partly made up of staff of Asian-Dutch descent.

Yuen herself has been involved with Cinemasia from the beginning, having been a member of the board of directors for many years. It also points to a need the festival still meets after all these years.

“There was no representation of Asian role models in films, and what it means to be a Dutch-Chinese person and to see Asian films also coming from the diaspora. Not just from China, but also from those big Asian hinterlands, there was just very little.”

The location of Cinemasia – three relatively small arthouse cinemas in Amsterdam – raises the question of whether Asian films are still a niche here: they are only interesting to enthusiasts.

But Yuen disagrees. “Cinema has always been focused on being mainstream,” she explains. “Just a wide selection of Asian films that are not usually bought by regular Dutch cinemas.”

For example, the festival will host the Dutch premiere of City of Wind, the feature debut of Mongolian director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, about a 17-year-old shaman in contemporary Mongolia: