MovieHDKH

The header

The page opens with a near-black header. On the left sits the logo: MOVIE in tall white capitals, HD in navy letters on a lime tag, and KH in deep red outlined in white, a nod to the country code of Cambodia. In the middle of the header sits a wide search box with a thin steel-blue border, and on the right a small dark My List button in capital letters.

Under the header runs the menu bar, slightly lighter and translucent, with bold links divided by thin dark rules: Home, Movies, Khmer, Asian, Anime, Collections and A-Z. Point at a link and its whole block turns white with dark text, exactly as on the original; the page you are on shows its name in lime. On phones, the menu folds into a button with three lines, and the search box moves onto its own row.

The collection chips

Just under the menu runs a row of rounded chips, one for each collection, a signature of the original site, which listed dozens of film series this way. The chips here read Khmer Movies, Asian Movies, Thai, Chinese and Korean Movies, Classics, Animation, Daily Update, Anime, Fast & Furious, Blockbuster Collections, Middle-earth and Hogwarts, Ong Bak and The Protector, and Chinese Animation. The row scrolls sideways on smaller screens, and each chip lights up softly as you point at it.

The banner

Below the chips, a wide banner fills the width of the screen with a still from one of the featured films, darkened on the left by a smooth fade. A caption box with rounded corners sits in the upper left, holding the title and year in tall capitals and a short line of story. Point at the banner and the title turns lime.

In the lower right corner, a strip of small thumbnails with thin white frames jumps between the banner slides, and the banner also scrolls with a swipe. On phones the banner becomes a little taller and the caption moves to the foot of the picture.

The welcome line

Under the banner, the page title introduces MovieHDKH in the same tall capitals, followed by one short paragraph about what the site offers. From here, the page divides into two columns: the carousels on the left and the Hot Movie sidebar on the right.

The carousels

The left column is built from carousels, as the original was. Each opens with a heading in white capitals, sometimes with a small grey note beside it, and a rounded See More button with a thin border on the right. The carousels are Suggestion, Khmer Cinema, Asian Hits, Classics, Animation, Anime and Daily Update. Each holds twelve posters in a row that scrolls sideways, six at a time on a large screen.

Suggestion opens with the featured titles of the season and continues with the most popular titles on the site. Khmer Cinema gathers Cambodian films, Asian Hits the Thai, Chinese and Korean favourites, Classics the highest-rated Hollywood films, Animation the animated films, Anime the Japanese series, and Daily Update the newest arrivals, sorted by date.

The poster cards

Each poster carries a small Full HD badge in its upper left corner, in white on a smoky navy background with rounded corners, just like the original. Series carry their number of seasons instead. Under the poster, the title and year appear in white, with the original title or the genres in grey underneath, so Thai, Chinese and Korean films show both their English and their original names.

Point at a poster and a large round play symbol appears over it, and the title turns lime. It is a small detail, and it makes browsing quick and lively.

The Hot Movie sidebar

The right column holds the Hot Movie list, the nine most popular films of the moment. Each entry shows a wide still, the title and year in capitals, and a short line of story on a deep red tag. In the top right corner of each still sits a numbered billboard shaped like a quarter circle, each in its own colour: red for number one, then orange, yellow, bright green, leaf green, violet blue, sky blue, purple and plum. The colours come straight from the original style sheet, and they make the list easy to scan at a glance.

Shelves and help

After the two columns, a section lists every shelf as a rounded outlined button with its title count. The help section follows, with a dark card for each guide edged in deep red, and then this article.

The title page

Opening a poster leads to its title page on the same navy background. The poster sits beside a darkened backdrop, followed by the story, the year, the length, the score, the genres, the cast and the director. Anime pages add a list of seasons with every episode and its air date. The Watch now button opens the viewing panel, and Add to My List keeps the title on the My List page.

The Watch now button

Press Watch now and a panel opens with a list of countries. Choose yours and the title opens on JustWatch, the guide that lists every subscription, rental, purchase and free service carrying it in that country, with a direct link to each one. The film then plays in the service's own app or website. MovieHDKH remembers your country for next time.

Choosing your country

Cambodia comes first in the country list, followed by the Philippines, the United States, India, France, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Japan. These are the places MovieHDKH's visitors come from and the places where Asian cinema is watched most. Catalogues differ from country to country, and the country list shows exactly what is available where you are.

Khmer cinema

The Khmer Movies shelf is the heart of MovieHDKH. Cambodian cinema has a remarkable story. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Phnom Penh had a thriving film industry, with hundreds of films, many of them romantic fantasies drawn from folk tales, and stars who were adored across the region. Most of those films were lost during the years of war, and Cambodian film had to be rebuilt almost from the beginning. Today a new generation of directors is telling Cambodian stories again, in horror, action, drama and comedy. The Khmer guide gives a short tour.

Tenement

Tenement is one of the most talked-about Cambodian films of recent years. After her mother's death, a manga artist travels to her family's old building in Phnom Penh, hoping to reconnect with her roots, and discovers that its walls hold a frightening past. It is atmospheric and beautifully made, and it shows how far Cambodian horror has come.

Khmer horror

Horror is the most popular genre in Cambodian cinema. The Night of the Cursed Reatrei follows people who move into an abandoned orphanage haunted by a vengeful spirit. The Spell follows a couple whose new home is disturbed by a dark presence, and Maly Not Maly tells the eerie story of a girl who disappears and seems to return. The Snake King's Child retells one of the most famous Khmer legends, the story of a woman who falls in love with a snake spirit, and it became a landmark of the revival of Cambodian film.

Jailbreak and The Prey

Jailbreak is Cambodia's great action film: a police team escorting a prisoner is trapped inside a prison when the inmates take over, and they fight their way out with the traditional Khmer martial art of bokator. Its fights are fast and funny, and it won fans around the world. The Prey is a jungle thriller in which a prisoner is set loose for hunters to chase through the forest.

Comedy

Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites is a warm comedy about a grandmother who slips away from a peaceful afterlife during her family's Qingming visit, when she overhears news about her favourite grandson's engagement and decides to set things right. It is funny, touching and full of family life.

Films of memory

Several Cambodian films look back at the country's history with great care. Bophana: A Cambodian Tragedy, by the director Rithy Panh, tells the story of a young woman and her husband during the Khmer Rouge years, based on the letters they wrote. Rice People, also by Rithy Panh, follows a farming family through a single rice season, and it was the first Cambodian film selected for competition at Cannes.

Phnom Penh today

Young directors are also filming the Phnom Penh of today. White Building follows a young dancer whose family must leave the famous apartment block where he grew up, as the city changes around him. New Land Broken Road follows three young hip-hop dancers on a night ride through the city, and Cambodia 2099 follows two friends on Diamond Island sharing their dreams of the future.

Turn Left Turn Right follows a free-spirited young woman working several jobs in the capital, Sunrise in My Mind is a gentle night-time romance set in a beauty salon, Coalesce follows young people making their way in the city, and Sisowath Quay follows a first date on the riverside that turns into a long, strange night.

Where Khmer films stream

Cambodian films are shown in cinemas in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and other cities, and many later reach Netflix, Prime Video and local services. Festival films often appear on specialist services such as MUBI. The Watch now panel lists every option in your country, and it is worth checking again later, because more Cambodian films reach streaming services every year.

Thai movies

Thai films are among the most watched in Cambodia, and the Thai Movies shelf holds twenty of the best, from martial-arts spectacles to horror, comedy and heartfelt drama. The Thai guide gives a short tour.

Tony Jaa and Muay Thai

Tony Jaa became a worldwide star with his breathtaking Muay Thai fights, performed for real, with every kick and leap his own. The Protector sends him to Sydney to recover his beloved elephants, and The Protector 2 continues the story. Ong Bak 2 and Ong Bak 3 travel back to ancient Siam for a tale of a young warrior raised by bandits. The Ong Bak and The Protector collection gathers all four.

For newer action, Ziam pits a former Muay Thai fighter against a horde of zombies, Bang follows a hitman on the run from his own gang, The Debt Collector follows a former collector protecting the people he once chased, and My Dearest Assassin is a romantic action film about a woman fighting beside the assassin she loves.

Thai horror

Thai horror is famous across Asia. Death Whisperer follows a family in a remote village fighting a deadly curse, and Death Whisperer 2 follows the brother's hunt for the spirit that killed his sister; both were huge hits. The Medium follows a shaman's family in rural Thailand in the style of a documentary, and Home for Rent follows a landlord whose tenants turn out to belong to a sinister cult. Art of the Devil 2 is a tale of black magic and revenge.

Pee Mak is a horror comedy, retelling the most famous Thai ghost story, the loyal wife Nak who waits for her husband, as a riotous comedy about a soldier and his friends. It became one of the most successful Thai films ever made.

Stories with heart

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies moved audiences across Asia: a young man offers to care for his grandmother, hoping for an inheritance, and discovers what family really means. Bad Genius is a gripping heist film about a brilliant student who runs a cheating scheme during international exams. A Little Thing Called Love is a sweet school romance loved by a whole generation, and The Red Line follows three women who take on the network that scammed them.

Thai cinema around the world

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, won the Palme d'Or at Cannes: a dying man is visited by the ghosts of his wife and son in the countryside. The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave is a documentary in which the young footballers rescued from the Tham Luang cave tell their story in their own words.

Chinese movies

Chinese blockbusters fill cinemas across Asia, and the Chinese Movies shelf holds twenty of them, from mythological animation to science fiction and martial-arts classics. The Chinese and Korean guide gives a quick tour.

Ne Zha

Ne Zha retells the story of a boy born as the reincarnation of a demon who fights his destiny, and it became a record-breaking animated hit. Ne Zha 2 continues the story, as Ne Zha and his friend Ao Bing are given a second chance at life, and it became the highest-earning animated film ever released. New Gods: Nezha Reborn moves the legend to a modern city of motorbikes and deliverymen. The Chinese Animation shelf gathers all three, with The Legend of Hei.

Epics and science fiction

The Wandering Earth and The Wandering Earth II imagine humanity attaching giant engines to the planet to move it away from a dying sun. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms opens a grand fantasy trilogy based on a classic novel. Red Cliff retells one of the most famous battles of ancient China, and The Grandmaster follows the life of Ip Man, the kung fu master who taught Bruce Lee.

Action and comedy

The Shadow's Edge brings a retired tracking expert back to catch a gang of thieves in Macau, The Furious follows a father searching for his kidnapped daughter, and Blades of the Guardians is a martial-arts adventure. Wolf Warrior 2 was one of China's biggest action films, and Vanguard and Panda Plan star Jackie Chan. Let the Bullets Fly is a clever western comedy, The Mermaid and Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons are Stephen Chow's playful fantasies, The Legend of Hei is a charming animated film about a cat spirit, and Better Days is a moving story of two teenagers. Incantation is a chilling horror film from Taiwan.

Korean movies

Korean cinema is famous for its thrillers, horror and family dramas, and the Korean Movies shelf holds eighteen of the most admired.

Parasite

Parasite made history as the first foreign-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. A poor family finds work, one by one, in the home of a wealthy family, and the story twists in astonishing directions. Its director, Bong Joon-ho, also made Snowpiercer, a science-fiction story set aboard a train that circles a frozen world.

Zombies and survival

Train to Busan traps passengers on a high-speed train during a zombie outbreak, and it is one of the most exciting films of its decade. Peninsula returns to the same world years later. Colony follows a professor caught in an outbreak at a biotech conference, and The Great Flood follows a researcher and her son trapped by rising water.

Horror

The Wailing follows a policeman investigating a mysterious sickness in a mountain village, and it is one of the most frightening films of its time. Exhuma follows a team of shamans and a geomancer who dig up a family grave, and it became a huge hit. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum follows a crew of internet broadcasters into an abandoned hospital.

Thrillers

The Man from Nowhere follows a quiet pawnshop owner who sets out to rescue a kidnapped girl. The Chaser and I Saw the Devil are intense detective thrillers, and The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil pairs a crime boss and a detective against a killer. Decision to Leave is an elegant mystery about a detective and a widow, and No Other Choice is a darkly comic story of a man who loses his job. Burning is a slow, haunting mystery based on a story by Haruki Murakami.

Fantasy and heart

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds follows a firefighter guided through seven trials in the afterlife, and 20th Century Girl is a sweet first-love story set in 1999. Both are loved by audiences across Southeast Asia.

Hollywood on MovieHDKH

Hollywood films open in Phnom Penh's cinemas the same week as around the world. The Suggestion and Daily Update carousels carry the newest releases: Project Hail Mary, The Odyssey, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Supergirl, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Disclosure Day and War of the Worlds. For families, Toy Story 5, Zootopia 2, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Minions & Monsters are all here.

Classics

The Classics shelf holds the highest-rated Hollywood films, and the classics guide gives a short tour. The Shawshank Redemption and Schindler's List lead the list, followed by The Green Mile, Forrest Gump and The Dark Knight. GoodFellas, Pulp Fiction, Se7en, The Silence of the Lambs and American History X are the great crime films, and Fight Club, Whiplash, Interstellar, Inception and The Matrix complete the shelf.

The collections

The original MovieHDKH listed dozens of film series as chips, and the chips here open the biggest of them. The collections guide gives the order at a glance.

The Fast & Furious shelf runs from Fast Five, where Dom's family pulls off a heist in Rio, through Furious 7 and F9 to Fast X. The Blockbuster Collections shelf holds Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, with Tom Cruise performing astonishing stunts. The Middle-earth and Hogwarts shelf holds The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

The same shelf holds the first and last Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and the Blockbuster Collections shelf also holds Jurassic World and Jurassic World Rebirth. Pacific Rim and Men in Black add giant robots and alien-hunting agents.

Animation

The Animation shelf holds animated films from every corner of the world, and it is one of the most popular with families in Cambodia. Coco follows a young musician into the colourful Land of the Dead, Inside Out and Inside Out 2 turn a girl's feelings into a team of characters, and Ratatouille follows a rat who dreams of cooking in Paris. WALL·E is a near-silent love story between two robots, and Toy Story 3 brings Woody and Buzz to a moving farewell.

Big Hero 6 pairs a young inventor with a gentle inflatable robot, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish sends the famous cat on his last adventure, Moana 2 takes Moana back to sea, and The Good Dinosaur imagines a world where dinosaurs lived on. Cars 2 sends Lightning McQueen around the world, and The Lion King is the Disney classic. Coraline and Corpse Bride are stop-motion treasures, Despicable Me introduced Gru and his Minions, and KPop Demon Hunters is the musical hit everyone is singing.

The Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse changed what animated superhero films could look like, with a style that looks like a comic book come to life. Miles Morales meets Spider-People from many worlds, and every frame is full of colour and invention.

Asian animation

Asian animation has its own place on the shelf. Ne Zha and Ne Zha 2 are China's great mythological adventures, The Legend of Hei is a gentle story of a cat spirit, and New Gods: Nezha Reborn brings the same hero to a modern city.

Anime

Anime has millions of fans in Cambodia and across Southeast Asia, and the Anime list gathers sixteen of the most loved series, each with its seasons and episodes. The anime guide gives a quick tour.

Action anime

JUJUTSU KAISEN follows a student who swallows a cursed object and joins a school of sorcerers. Attack on Titan follows humanity's last city behind giant walls, besieged by towering Titans. Solo Leveling follows a weak hunter who gains the power to grow stronger with every battle, and Kaiju No. 8 follows a man who can turn into a monster himself. Tokyo Ghoul and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure are stylish and strange, and Sword Art Online traps its players inside a virtual world.

Adventure and fantasy

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End follows an elf mage after her hero's quest has ended, as she travels again to understand the friends she outlived. It is gentle, wise and beautiful. Hunter x Hunter follows a boy searching for his father, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime follows an office worker reborn as a slime who builds a nation of monsters, Overlord follows a player trapped in his favourite game, and Classroom of the Elite is a clever school drama.

Comedy and sport

SPY x FAMILY follows a spy, an assassin and a telepathic girl who pretend to be a family, and it is one of the most loved comedies in anime. Mob Psycho 100 follows a shy boy with enormous psychic powers, and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War follows two top students each waiting for the other to confess first. Haikyu!! is the volleyball series that made a whole generation want to play.

Watching anime

Most anime is offered in Japanese with subtitles, and many series also carry English dubs. Crunchyroll carries most new series within hours of their Japanese broadcast, and Netflix carries many popular ones. Anime seasons usually run for twelve or twenty-four episodes, which makes them easy to follow week by week.

Services in Cambodia

In Cambodia, Netflix carries a large mix of Hollywood, Thai, Korean and Chinese films and anime, and Prime Video and Disney+ carry many Hollywood titles and collections. Local services and television channels carry Khmer films and series, and many Cambodian films also reach Netflix after their cinema run. The streaming services guide lists the options across the region.

Services across Asia

Across Southeast Asia, Viu, iQIYI and WeTV carry Chinese, Korean and Thai films and series, Crunchyroll carries most anime, and Netflix carries the widest mix of all. In the Philippines, the United States and elsewhere, the Watch now panel shows exactly which services carry each title.

Khmer dubbing and subtitles

The original MovieHDKH had a Khmer Dubbed shelf, because many Cambodian viewers love watching Thai, Chinese and Korean films in Khmer. On official services, the available audio and subtitle languages differ from film to film and from service to service; many carry Khmer subtitles, and some carry Khmer audio. Open the audio and subtitle menu in the player to see what is offered, and choose English or the original language with subtitles where Khmer is unavailable.

Renting and buying

New Hollywood releases often arrive first to rent or buy on Apple TV, Google TV and Prime Video, then join a subscription service a few weeks later. The Watch now panel shows prices side by side with subscription options.

Free and legal viewing

Plenty of films are free and legal to watch. Many studios, including several in Thailand, China and Cambodia, post full films on their official YouTube channels, and Crunchyroll and official anime channels offer selected episodes free. In the United States, Tubi, Pluto TV and Plex carry thousands of films free with adverts. The free movies guide has the details.

Picture quality

The Full HD badge on every film is a reminder that official services stream in high definition, and many titles are available in 4K. The best picture depends on your plan, your device and your connection. On mobile data, choose a data-saver setting in the service's app, or download titles on Wi-Fi to watch later.

Phones, computers and televisions

MovieHDKH works in any modern browser. On a computer, the menu bar, the chips and the carousels make browsing quick; on a phone, the carousels scroll with a swipe and the menu folds into a button. Add MovieHDKH to your home screen for one-tap access. The devices guide explains how to move from MovieHDKH to the service's app on your television.

My List

My List is the small capital button in the header. Each title page has an Add to My List button, and the titles you add wait together on the My List page, ready for the weekend. Your own browser keeps the list, so it works from the first title you save. When you change phones, export the list as a single small file and import it on the new one.

More ways to find titles

The wide search box reads titles, original titles and cast names, so typing Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan or Song Kang-ho finds their films. The chips open every collection, the A-Z page lists every title alphabetically, and the Collections page lists every shelf with its title count. The finding titles guide sums it up.

The official MovieHDKH

MovieHDKH has one fixed address, shown in your browser's address bar. Bookmark it or add it to your home screen, and it opens with your country and My List in place. The official site guide describes the real MovieHDKH: a deep navy page, the MOVIE HD KH logo with its lime tag, a bold menu bar, collection chips and lime highlights. The site status page explains a few quick checks if a page is slow.

Staying safe

Safe streaming is simple. Use official apps and websites, keep your phone and browser updated, use a strong password and two-step sign-in on your streaming accounts, and close any pop-up that asks you to install something. MovieHDKH has one button per title and sends you only to JustWatch and official services. The safety checklist has a few more tips.

How titles are chosen

MovieHDKH's catalogue follows the spirit of the original site: Hollywood releases, classics and collections, animation, anime, and the Asian films Cambodian audiences love, with a shelf for Khmer cinema. Every title is chosen by hand from TMDB's lists of popular and highly rated films and series, and each one is checked to suit a general audience.

Where the information comes from

Titles, posters, stories, cast, runtimes, seasons, episodes and scores come from TMDB, The Movie Database, through its official interface. The Watch now panel links to JustWatch, which tracks the services in each country. This guide and the help pages are written for MovieHDKH, an independent site with its own writing, and the look is rebuilt from the archived design of the original. The About page says more.

The golden age of Cambodian film

Older viewers in Cambodia still remember the 1960s and early 1970s as a golden age. Phnom Penh's cinemas were full, local studios made hundreds of films a year, and audiences flocked to fantasies drawn from folk tales, where princes, giants, spirits and snake kings mixed with love stories and songs. The music of that era, by singers such as Sinn Sisamouth and Ros Sereysothea, is still loved today, and many new Cambodian films pay tribute to it.

Much of that heritage was lost in the years that followed, but film lovers, archivists and new directors have worked to preserve what survived and to build a new cinema. Films such as The Snake King's Child carried the old legends into a new era, and today's horror films such as Tenement and The Night of the Cursed Reatrei continue the tradition of spirits and haunted places that audiences have always loved.

Three martial-arts traditions

MovieHDKH's shelves show three great martial-arts traditions side by side. Jailbreak features bokator, the ancient Khmer fighting art, with its elbow strikes and knee strikes carved on the walls of Angkor. Ong Bak 2 and The Protector feature Muay Thai, the art of eight limbs, in some of the most spectacular fight scenes ever filmed. The Grandmaster features Wing Chun kung fu, filmed with elegance and rain-soaked beauty.

Watching them back to back is a fine way to compare the styles, and a reminder of how much the neighbouring countries of the region share.

Horror across Asia

Horror is loved across Asia, and each country has its own flavour. Cambodian horror such as The Spell and Maly Not Maly draws on spirits and village beliefs. Thai horror such as Death Whisperer and The Medium brings curses, shamans and rural mysteries. Korean horror such as The Wailing and Exhuma is slow, clever and frightening, and Taiwanese horror such as Incantation plays with found footage. For a night of Asian horror, pick one from each country and keep the lights low.

Khmer New Year movie night

Khmer New Year in April is a time for family, games and food, and many families gather to watch films together in the evenings. For a holiday night, start with a comedy everyone can enjoy, such as Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites or Pee Mak, add an adventure for the children, such as Ne Zha or Zootopia 2, and end with an action film such as Jailbreak for the grown-ups. Pchum Ben and the Water Festival are good times for a family film too.

A week with MovieHDKH

Here is one way to enjoy a week of films. On Monday, start with a Khmer film such as White Building. On Tuesday, try a Thai favourite such as Bad Genius. On Wednesday, pick a Korean thriller such as The Man from Nowhere. On Thursday, watch two episodes of an anime such as Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. On Friday, watch the newest Hollywood release from the Daily Update carousel, and at the weekend, share a family animation and a classic such as Forrest Gump.

New to Asian cinema?

Friends from other countries often ask where to start with Asian films. A good first choice is Parasite for a clever thriller, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies for a family story, Train to Busan for action, Ne Zha 2 for spectacle or Jailbreak for Cambodian martial arts. All of them are offered with English subtitles on the official services, and the Watch now panel shows where each one plays.

Worth watching again

Some films reward a second viewing. Parasite and Decision to Leave are full of details that only make sense once you know the ending. Bad Genius is even more tense when you know the plan, and Inception reveals new layers each time. Pee Mak is funnier the second time, when you can watch the characters' faces instead of the ghost.

Reading the scores

Each title shows a score out of ten on its page, taken from the votes of TMDB's worldwide community of film fans. Khmer films often have fewer votes than Hollywood films, so their scores move more with each vote. The story, the cast and the genres on the title page help you decide the rest.

Festivals in the region

Many films on MovieHDKH first appeared at film festivals. The Cambodia International Film Festival in Phnom Penh shows Cambodian and international films every year, and Bangkok, Busan, Tokyo and Shanghai hold some of the biggest festivals in Asia. Films such as White Building, Rice People and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives travelled to the great European festivals as well, bringing Southeast Asian stories to audiences around the world.

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies deserves a special word, because it touched audiences across Southeast Asia, including many families in Cambodia. M, a young man short of money, moves in with his grandmother after her diagnosis, hoping to become her favourite and inherit her house. As he helps at her congee stall and drives her to visit relatives, he slowly discovers her quiet sacrifices and his own love for her. It is funny, gentle and deeply moving, and many viewers say it made them call their grandparents the moment it ended.

Bad Genius

Bad Genius turns an exam into a heist. Lynn, a brilliant student from a modest family, begins helping classmates with answers, and the scheme grows until it reaches an international university entrance exam held in several time zones at once. The exam scenes are as tense as any bank robbery, and the film asks sharp questions about school, money and ambition. It became one of the most successful Thai films across Asia.

Train to Busan

Train to Busan follows a busy father taking his young daughter from Seoul to see her mother in Busan, when a zombie outbreak spreads through the train. The passengers must work together carriage by carriage, and the film finds real heart among the thrills. It is one of the most exciting films of its decade and a perfect introduction to Korean cinema.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End begins where most fantasy stories end. The hero's party has defeated the Demon King, and the elf mage Frieren, who lives for centuries, watches her human friends grow old. Regretting how little she knew them, she sets out on a new journey with young companions, retracing old roads and remembering. It is quiet, funny and beautiful, and it has become one of the most loved anime of recent years.

The Shadow's Edge

The Shadow's Edge stars Jackie Chan as a veteran surveillance expert called back from retirement to help the Macau police catch a gang of professional thieves who vanish like shadows. It mixes old-school action with modern technology, and it was one of the biggest Chinese hits of its year.

Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary leads the Hollywood releases on the Daily Update carousel. A science teacher wakes up alone on a spacecraft far from Earth with a mission to save the Sun, and finds an unexpected friend among the stars. It is clever, funny and warm, and it pairs well with Interstellar for a weekend of space adventure.

Family favourites

For families, the shelves are full of choices. Toy Story 5, Zootopia 2, Moana 2 and Inside Out 2 continue favourite stories, The Wild Robot tells of a robot learning to raise a gosling on a wild island, and KPop Demon Hunters follows a K-pop trio who protect the world with their songs. For Asian family films, The Legend of Hei and Ne Zha are ready for the whole family.

Mission: Impossible

The three newest Mission: Impossible films form one great run. Mission: Impossible - Fallout sends Ethan Hunt across Paris, London and Kashmir after stolen plutonium, with a helicopter chase through the mountains. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One pits him against a rogue artificial intelligence, with a famous motorbike jump off a Norwegian cliff, and Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning brings the story to its close. Tom Cruise performs the stunts himself, which makes every chase feel real. Watch them in order over three evenings.

Fast and Furious

The Fast and Furious films are all about family, and the four on MovieHDKH show the series at its most spectacular. Fast Five turns the crew into a heist team in Rio, Furious 7 sends cars parachuting out of a plane and between the towers of Abu Dhabi, F9 brings Dom's brother into the story, and Fast X begins the final chapter. They are loud, joyful and made to be watched with friends.

Middle-earth

The Lord of the Rings films remain the great fantasy adventure. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring gathers nine companions to destroy a powerful ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers divides them across a world at war, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King brings every thread together in one of the most rewarding endings in cinema; it won eleven Academy Awards. The three films make a perfect rainy-season project, one each evening, with the extended editions for devoted fans.

Jurassic World

Jurassic World reopens the dinosaur park on its island, now a busy theme park, until a new creature escapes, and Jurassic World Rebirth takes a new team to a remote island where the largest dinosaurs still live. Both are big, bright adventures that children and grown-ups enjoy together.

Questions