The goriest, scariest, funniest, and most action-packed film festival in New York is back, if you can handle it. The 2013 New York Asian Film Festival, which runs from June 28 through July 15, has one of its biggest and most varied lineups yet. But these aren’t films you’ll see at Cannes — the festival specializes in genre films that defy expectation, from horror films featuring kitchen appliances to epic underground sci-fi bonanzas. In addition to the main lineup, the festival will present a 40th anniversary screening of Bruce Lee’s trailblazing “Enter the Dragon,” as well as tributes and guest appearances from the some of the best artists working in Asian cinema. We suggest you try to check out as much as possible, but to make things easier, we’ve gone through the lineup and pulled out five films you shouldn’t miss.

Comrade Kim Goes Flying

One of the most intriguing films at the festival is “Comrade Kim Goes Flying,” a British-Belgian-North Korean co-production making its New York premiere. The film, “in which a beautiful coalminer inveigles her way into becoming a circus trapeze artist,” was shot in North Korea, and has reportedly been widely successful there — although it’s impossible to get accurate box-office numbers. Some have criticized the film for sugarcoating a murderous regime, but the filmmakers are insisting the film is far from propaganda.

Screens Friday, July 5, 2:30 p.m. at the Walter Reade Theater

photo blouinartinfo.com

Drug War

Forget Scorsese: If there is one true master of the crime film, it’s prolific Chinese auteur Johnnie To. “Drug War,” his 2012 film making its New York premiere at the festival, is a brutal, cold assault, the story of a police chief who partners with a criminal fresh out of jail to take down a drug ring. The film, the director’s first in Mainland China (which has strict censorship rules concerning cinema), works as a critique of the country that is sure to satisfy fans of To’s substantial body of work.

Screens Friday, July 5, 6:15 p.m. at the Walter Reade Theater

photo blouinartinfo.com

The Fridge

Filipino director Rico Maria Ilarde’s appliance-horror film stars Andi Eigenmann as Tina, a girl who, after the mysterious death of her parents, returns to the Philippines following a stint in the U.S. and discovers that the refrigerator in her home eats people. Yes, you read that correctly. The film is a semi-follow-up to “Pridyider,” a chapter in iconic Filipino horror-anthology “Shake, Rattle & Roll,” about a murderous fridge that lures women into its trap.

Screens Friday, July 5, 11:59 p.m. at the Beale Theater; and Wednesday, July 10, 3:30 p.m. at the Walter Reade Theater

photo blouinartinfo.com

Taiwan Black Movies

Hou Chi-jan’s documentary unearths a forgotten period of Taiwanese cinema, pre-new wave, consisting of low-budget exploitation films that the government later decried and held up as an example for how not to make movies. While working a menial job at the Taipei Film Archives, director Hou discovered a few forgotten tapes, and the film follows his journey of bringing these films back to the public. The festival will screen the documentary along with a few “black movies,” including “The Lady Avenger” and “Never Too Late to Repent (a.k.a. The First Error Step).”

Screens Saturday July 6, 1:00 p.m. at the Walter Reade Theater

photo blouinartinfo.com

Bad Film

Maybe the craziest looking film at the festival, it’s hard to beat the description: “150+ hours of a post-apocalyptic GLBT gangster saga shot on raw Hi-8 video, set on the eve of the impending Hong Kong handover.” The film, featuring a cast of thousands, has been cut down and shaped, but still sounds out of control. Director Sion Sono is a controversial figure who, according to festival notes, once showed up to the Japan Society in New York drunk and ranting about Quentin Tarantino, and was the figurehead of Tokyo GAGAGA, “a 2000 member-strong guerrilla performance art collective.” The film is making its North American premiere, and is certainly not to be missed.

Screens Friday July 12, 6:00 p.m. at Japan Society

photo blouinartinfo.com

via blouinartinfo.com