NYAFF to Open 25th Edition With North American Premiere of Yeon Sang-ho's 'Colony'

The 2026 New York Asian Film Festival will open with the North American premiere of Yeon Sang-ho's Colony, a zombie thriller starring Gianna Jun as a biotechnology professor caught in a virus outbreak during a conference. The selection was announced as the festival's opening-night presentation for its 25th edition, which runs July 10 through July 26, 2026.

The Details

Colony stars Gianna Jun as a biotechnology professor who becomes caught in a virus outbreak at a conference. The film has already sold to more than 120 territories across international markets. Well Go USA acquired North American distribution rights. Well Go USA's official film page lists Colony as directed by Yeon Sang-ho and co-starring Koo Kyo-hwan. The distributor schedules the film for theatrical release on August 28, 2026.

The 2026 New York Asian Film Festival will present the North American premiere of Colony as its opening-night film. The festival runs from July 10 through July 26, 2026. Screenings during the festival will be held at Lincoln Center, the SVA Theatre, LOOK Cinemas, and the Korean Cultural Center New York. NYAFF is celebrating its 25th edition in 2026. The festival has worked with Film at Lincoln Center since 2010.

Deadline previously reported in March 2025 that Yeon Sang-ho's then-titled zombie film was called Gunche. The report noted that the term means colony in a biological context.

Context

Samuel Jamier, president of the New York Asian Film Festival, described the film's approach to the genre in a statement. "Yeon Sang-ho's Colony introduces a new physical grammar for the zombies, formally revolutionary and viscerally tense, and unlike anything else in the genre right now," Jamier said.

The festival will also screen a 4K restoration of Train To Busan for the film's 10th anniversary. Well Go USA will release Train To Busan in 4K on August 14, 2026. Colony will open in theaters on August 28, 2026. Doris Pfardrescher, president and CEO of Well Go USA, commented on the pairing. "We're thrilled to have the North American premiere of Colony alongside a special 4K revival of Train To Busan, a landmark work that forever changed the zombie genre," Pfardrescher said.

What's Next

Colony will receive its North American premiere as the NYAFF opening-night film on July 10, 2026. Following the festival premiere, the theatrical release arrives on August 28 through Well Go USA.