This Week's Picks | 71st Edition

Published on 31 December 2025 at 04:00

Welcome to On Screens This Week, your global guide to what’s new, vital, and unmissable across cinemas and streaming platforms. From festival favourites to mainstream breakthroughs, we spotlight stories that travel across borders, genres, and emotions.

Every week, we curate films and series that reflect the pulse of the world—where history collides with imagination, love finds new languages, and courage takes many forms.

In Cinemas

Hong Kong

Action | Comedy | Adventure | Sci‑Fi

Time bends, and loyalties fracture as a time‑traveller and an emperor confront old wounds.

A sci‑fi adventure where destiny and futuristic warfare collide.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: In the Qin Dynasty, time-traveller Hong Siu-lung has lived in seclusion with his family for twenty years. Yet every step he takes remains under the watchful eye of his former disciple, now the Qin Emperor. On the brink of ultimate power after conquering the six warring states, the emperor is suddenly ambushed by a mysterious team wielding advanced weapons clearly originating from Hong’s time. Drawn together by fate again, Hong and Qin Emperor are forced to confront the long-buried conflict between them, because the future now depends on how they settle their past.

Writer: Xin He

Cast: Louis Koo, Raymond Lam, Jessica Hester Hsuan, Sonija Kwok Sin-Nae, Lai-Ming Tang, Jimmy Au, Baihe Bai, Kwok-Pong Chan, Joyce Tang Lai-Ming, Michael Miu Kiu-Wai, Louise Cheung, Kevin Chu, Chris Collins, Fish Liew, Kai-Chi Liu, Wing-Sze Ng, Calvin Choy, Edward Chui, Timmy Hung, Julius Brain Siswojo, Tin-Chiu Hung, Yue Wu, John Tang

Cine-grapher: Kenny Tse Chung-To

Composer: Kay Chan, Kwong Wing Chan & Christopher Lai

Costume Designer: Siu Hong Cheung

Producer: Louis Koo, Charles Heung & Wai-Bat Tang

Editor: Wong Hoi & Kenny Luk

Director: Jack Lai & Yuen Fai Ng

Release Date: 31 December 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Production Location: Hong Kong

Production Country: Hong Kong

Language: Cantonese (Foreign Language Subtitled)

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O22WwXOhb5w&t=2s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Finland & US

Comedy | Drama | Sport

A dreamer no one believes fights through humiliation and hope.

A scrappy, soulful tale of grit and glory.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.

Writer: Josh Safdie & Ronald Bronstein

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Abel Ferrara, Tyler, The Creator, Koto Kawaguchi, Fran Drescher, Emory Cohen, John Catsimatidis, Geza Rohrig, Luke Manley, Pico Iyer, George Gervin, Ralph Colucci, Sandra Bernhard, Penn Jillette, Levon Hawke, Isaac Simon, Larry Sloman, Spencer Granese, Kemba Walker, Tracy McGrady, Philippe Petit, Timo Boll

Cine-grapher: Darius Khondji

Composer: Daniel Lopatin

Costume Designer: Miyako Bellizzi

Production Designer: Jack Fisk

Producer: Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas & Timothée Chalamet

Editor: Josh Safdie & Ronald Bronstein

Director: Josh Safdie

Release Date: 25 December 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Production Location: Hancock, New York, US

Production Country: Finland & US

Language: English & Japanese

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9gSuKaKcqM&t=20s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

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In Cinemas

US

Music | Drama | Biography | History | Romance

Two musicians find love and purpose through Neil Diamond’s melodies.

A tender ode to reinvention and unlikely harmony.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it's never too late to find love and follow your dreams.

Writer: Greg Kohs & Craig Brewer

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Mustafa Shakir, Jim Belushi, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Hudson Hilbert Hensley, Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, John Beckwith, Jayson Warner Smith, Kena Anae, Cecelia Riddett, Jim Conroy, Sean Allan Krill, Chacha Tahng, Ben Krieger, Charles Gray, T. Oliver Reid, Carey Van Driest, Beth Malone, Leah Curney

Cine-grapher: Amy Vincent

Composer: Scott Bomar

Costume Designer: Ernesto Martinez

Production Designer: Clay A. Griffith

Producer: John Davis, John Fox & Craig Brewer

Editor: Billy Fox

Director: Craig Brewer

Release Date: 1 January 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Production Location: New Jersey & New York, US

Production Country: US

Cert: 12A

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssZU6xUM-YI&t=3s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

India

Action | Biography | Drama | War | History

A young soldier’s courage blazes through the 1971 war.

A stirring portrait of sacrifice and national heroism.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of the 1971 war, it follows the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal, India's youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.

Writer: Arijit Biswas, Sriram Raghavan & Pooja Ladha Surti

Cast: Dharmendra, Sikandar Kher, Jaideep Ahlawat, Agastya Nanda, Ekavali Khanna, Shree Bishinoi, Mansi Chawla, Aryan Pushkar, Mohan Godara, Simar Bhatia, Sikander Kher, Kunal Mann, Pankaj Rajput, Narinder Singh, Kuldeep Singh Thakur, Vivaan Shah, Kailash Gowthaman, Chittavasu Prakash, Vinay Chhoker, Aadyanshi Kapoor, Yogesh Bhardwaj

Cine-grapher: Anil Mehta

Composer: Jigar Saraiya & Sachin Sanghvi

Costume Designer: Rohit Chaturvedi & Karishma Mulla

Production Designer: Mayur Sharma, Mustafa Stationwala, Sriram Iyengar & Sujeet Sawant

Producer: Dinesh Vijan & Binny Padda

Editor: Monisha R Baldawa & Pooja Ladha Surti

Director: Sriram Raghavan

Release Date: 1 January 2026

Screening Territory: Global

Production Location: India

Production Country: India

Language: Hindi (Foreign Language Subtitled)

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebAznVtYY84&t=3s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

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Streaming Series

Argentina

Action | Biography | Drama | War | History

Two ex‑convicts rebuild their lives until danger pulls them back in.

A sharp, darkly funny tale of survival and sisterhood.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Fresh out of prison and low on options, two women run a fumigation business - until a shady client pulls them back into the life they fought to escape.

Writer: Nicolas Diodovich, Gabriela Larralde & Claudia Pineiro

Cast: Carla Peterson, Nancy Duplaa, Valeria Lois, Oscar Guzman, Jimena Anganuzzi, Diego Velazquez, Carlos Belloso, Julia Dorto

Cine-grapher: Manuel Rebella & Soledad Rodriguez

Composer: Christian Basso, Carlos Lucero & Leo Sujatovich

Costume Designer: Pilar Gonzalez

Producer: Monica D’Uva, Vanessa Ragone, Vanina Catania & Mariana Bomba

Editor: Maria Astrauskas & Andres Quaranta

Director: Ana Katz & Benjamin Naishtat

Release Date: 1 January 2026

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Location: Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, San Carlos de Bariloche

Production Country: Argentina

Language: Spanish (Foreign Language Subtitled)

Cert: TV-MA

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BpTGGM9JKY

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Mexico

Comedy | Drama | Crime

Office rivals clash, spark, and slowly unravel each other’s armour.

A charming romance where class divides melt into tenderness.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Two colleagues from vastly different backgrounds initially despise each other. He is a privileged "nepo baby," while she is a determined worker who has earned everything through her efforts. Their competitive spirit sparks unexpected moments and, eventually, deeper affection.

Writer: Carolina Rivera & Maria Andrea Otero

Cast: Ana Gonzalez Bello, Diego Klein, Martha Lorena Reyes, Paola Fernandez, Nicolas de Llaca, Marco Leon Pol, Alexis Ayala, Fernando Mamije, Jerry Velazquez, Manuel Calderon, Laura de Ita, Marco Trevino, Stephanie Salas, Isabella Arroyo

Cine-grapher: Sidney Robote

Production Designer: Florent Vitse

Editor: V. Manu Medina

Director: Nadia Ayala Tabachnik & Carolina Rivera

Release Date: 1 January 2026

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Location: Mexico

Production Country: Mexico

Language: Spanish (Foreign Language Dubbed & Subtitled)

Cert: TV-MA

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp8biMhr5IY

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

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Streaming Series

UK

Drama | Crime | Mystery 

A perfect life shatters with one disappearance.
A father’s search becomes a haunting journey into guilt and love.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Simon had the perfect life: loving wife and kids, great job, beautiful home. But then his eldest daughter, Paige, ran away, and everything fell apart. So now, when he finds her, vulnerable and strung out on drugs in a city park, he finally has the chance to bring his little girl home.

Writer: Tom Farrelly, Amanda Duke, Daniel Brocklehurst & Harlan Coben

Cast: James Nesbitt, Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver, Alfred Enoch, Ellie de Lange, Jon Pointing, Ellie Henry, Vikash Bhai, Ben Galvin, Osian Salter, Marcus Fraser, Ravi Multani, Amrik Tumber, Thomas Flynn, Clara Lioe, Mark Bazeley, Dan Chapman, Luca Slade, Jase Rivers, Brook Debio, Chenee Taylor, Tim Walker, Ewen Weatherburn, Chris Cutler, Aneta Piotrowska

Cine-grapher: Richard Stoddard & Alistair Upcraft

Composer: Luke Richards & David Buckley

Costume Designer: Beckie Nowicka

Production Designer: Vanessa Hawkins

Producer: Guy Hescott & Will McDonagh

Editor: David Fisher, Nikki McChristie, Kyle Ogden & Daniel Gale-Coyne

Director: Nimer Rashed & Isher Sahota

Release Date: 1 January 2026

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Location: London, UK

Production Country: UK

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qSZJD2CrQY&t=5s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

South Korea

Comedy | Romance | Drama

A heartbroken teacher finds warmth in a quiet town and an unlikely companion.

A gentle romance where spring arrives in the soul.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: After moving to a quiet rural town to heal from past heartbreak, a withdrawn teacher slowly rediscovers warmth and joy through her unexpected connection with a rough-around-the-edges but kind-hearted local man.

Writer: Kim A-jung

Cast: Lee Joo-bin, Ahn Bo-Hyun, Cha Seo-won, Lee Jae-in, Jo Joon-Young, Bae Jeong-nam, Jin Kyung, Oh Man-Suk, Young-ki Jung, Seung-Yeon Jo, Sang-won Seo, Na Young-hee, Cho Seung-yeon, Im Su-hyung, Seo Sang-won, Jo Seung-yeon, Kim Beong-choun

Director: Park Won-gook

Release Date: 5 January 2025

Streaming On: Prime Video

Production Location:

Production Country: South Korea

Language: Korean (Foreign Language Subtitled)

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgyahanUcOk&t=34s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

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Streaming Movies

Germany

War | Action | Drama | Thriller

A tank crew spirals into madness on a secret WWII mission.

A tense descent into war’s brutality and inner darkness.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: In the Eastern Front of World War II in 1943, a five-man crew of a German Tiger tank is sent on a secret mission far behind the fiercely contested front line. Fuelled by the Wehrmacht's methamphetamine, their assignment increasingly becomes a journey into the heart of darkness.

Writer: Colin Teevan & Dennis Gansel

Cast: Laurence Rupp, David Schutter, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Leonard Kunz, Yoran Leicher, Andre Hennicke, Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey, Tilman Strauss, Yana Shevchenko, Alzbeta Mala, Samuel Himal

Cine-grapher: Carlo Jelavic

Composer: Heiko Maile

Costume Designer: Anke Winckler

Production Designer: Nick Palmer

Producer: Marco Beckmann, Dan Maag & Frank Kusche

Editor: Benjamin Kaubisch

Director: Dennis Gansel

Release Date: 2 January 2025

Streaming On: Prime Video

Production Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Production Country: Germany

Language: German (Foreign Language Subtitled)

Cert: PG

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp8biMhr5IY

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Kenya & Nigeria

Comedy | Drama | Family

A meticulous clerk’s life is upended by an 11‑year‑old whirlwind.

A warm, funny story about unexpected bonds.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: A meticulous clerk for a bookstore that has just been shuttered suddenly finds herself taking care of her cousin's witty 11-year-old daughter.

Writer, Editor & Director: Dolapo Adeleke

Cast: Sarah Hassan, Stycie Waweru, Mawuli Gavor, Eve D’Souza, Jazz Mistri, Pierra Makena, Blessing Lungaho, Fidel Maithya, Kagwe Mungai, Lydia Gitachu, Raymond Wambugu, Martin Githinji, Samuel Mwangi, Martin Nyakabete, Andreo Kamau, Bernard Mbasu, Dina Githinji, Jacqueline Ochieng, Walter Odhiambo, Tracy Amadi, Jayden Kamau

Cine-grapher: Victor Ombogo

Composer: Kolade Morakinyo

Production Designer: Dolapo Adeleke & Wangui Ngunjiri

Producer: Sarah Hassan

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Production Country: Kenya & Nigeria

Cert: PG

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45yaiF1gsfk&t=7s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

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Documentaries

US

Culinary | Food

A sensory journey through a legendary culinary dynasty.

Craft, heritage, and the quiet poetry of food.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Founded in 1930, Troisgros has held three Michelin stars for 55 years. The children of the fourth generation, Marie-Pierre and Michel's sons are continuing the family business: César runs the Michelin-starred restaurant, "Le Bois sans feuilles" ("The Leafless Wood"), and Léo oversees one of the other two Troisgros restaurants, "La Colline du colombier" ("The Dovecote Hill"). From the daily market to the cheese maturing cellars, via the vineyard, the cattle farm and the vegetable garden adjacent to the restaurant, Menus-Plaisirs is an intimate, sensory journey through the kitchens of one of the world's most prestigious restaurants.

Writer, Editor & Director: Frederick Wiseman

Cast: Jean-Pierre Troisgros, Marie Badaut, Jean Trisgrois, Pierre Troisgrois,

Cine-grapher: James Bishop

Producer: Karen Konicek, Olivier Giel & Frederick Wiseman

Streaming On: PBS

Production Country: US

Cert: PG

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNsTyFX-1o8&t=2s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

South Korea

Food | Competition

Underdog cooks face elite chefs in a fierce flavour showdown.

A vibrant competition where passion and identity collide.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Eighty "Black Spoon" underdog cooks with a knack for flavour face 20 elite "White Spoon" chefs in a fierce cooking showdown among 100 contenders.

Writer: Mo Eun-seol

Cast: Paik Jong-won, Sung Anh, Nam Doh-hyeong, Roi Choi, Kim Do-yun, Raymon Kim, Song Hoon, Jung Ho-young, Jennie Waliden, Im Seong-geun, Seonjae, Shin Gye-sook, Hu Deok-juk, Sam Kim, Edward Lee

Producer & Director: Kim Eun-ji & Kim Hak-min

Streaming Platform: Netflix

Production Country: South Korea

Cert: PG

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNAEIuDf-rI&t=2s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

As a new year begins, these stories remind us why we watch: to remember, to dream, to confront the past, and to imagine better futures.

Wherever you are in the world, On Screens This Week brings you closer to the stories shaping our screens—and our time. Stay curious. Stay watching.

*Posters, Synopses and Trailers are copyrights of the original owners.

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