Dubbed "Love at First Bite," the 2020 showcase will start with Extreme Job, a 2019 South Korean film about a crew of undercover cops whose front as a fried chicken place turns into a surprise success. The movie has become one of the top grossing domestic films in South Korea since its release in January last year.
Other major titles on the list include Eat Drink Man Woman, a 1994 film by Ang Lee which tells about a top chef father trying to reconnect with his daughters through Chinese culinary creations; and the 1996 film The God of Cookery by Hong Kong's "King of Comedy" Stephen Chow.
The organizers have also collaborated with a slew of restaurants in town serving up dishes inspired by the movies, offering a feast for the eyes and stomachs.
"With the second Winter Showcase, we decide to continue to explore repertory programming in the most fun way possible -- with a lineup that connects food and film, and shows that they transcend borders," said Samuel Jamier, executive director of the event.
It is an occasion to discover why cooking and eating are so central to so many Asian films and "how they address themes of family, morality, mortality, ambition and finding one's way through the crossed wires of building romantic connections," he said.
The NYAFF is an annual flagship event of the New York Asian Film Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exhibition and appreciation of Asian film culture. The second NYAFF Winter Showcase will run from Feb. 14 to 16.