NEW DELHI: The 12th New York Film Festival will include a major tribute to Taiwan exploitation cinema and close with the Taiwan-produced kung fu-musical The Rooftop.
 
Rooftop, which screens in New York just days after it opens in China and Taiwan, is described as a "musical extravaganza" with romance, martial arts and special effects. The film stars musician Jay Chou, also directing, opposite Gary Yang and Alan Ko.
 
The Festival, to be held from 28 June to 15 July, will have a highlight in Taiwan Pulp! Tales of Gangsters, Female Avengers and Ninjas! focusing on a little-known period of Asian exploitation cinema from 1979 to 1983 with five rarely-screened classics and the documentary Taiwan Black Movies (2005).
 
The festival has also announced New York-set Thai thriller Countdown, martial arts biopic Ip Man: The Final Fight, China western An inaccurate Memoir and Japanese horror films Helter Skelter and Lesson of the Evil.