The New York Asian Film Festival kicks off this weekend, starting at the IFC Film Center. South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, and newcomer Pakistan are all represented in this year’s line up, with titles including “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK,” and “Yo-Yo Girl Cop.” Film industry insiders consider the festival a showcase for movies that might spawn American blockbusters in the future, Martin Tsai writes on page 16. We take a look at Asian eateries and some selections from the NYAFF in this week’s Dinner & a Movie.

DINNER

A meal at 15 East works best when it incorporates elements from the restaurant’s various strengths. The raw fish preparations are exciting but ethereal, while the blandly sturdy cooked main courses can make up the other side of the coin, like a casserole of mildly seasoned rice ($32), tossed with pieces of snow crab and savory snapper. Designed to be shared, it makes a filling cap to a meal that starts with a bit more thrill. Another casserole, of udon noodles in limpid broth ($22), does not bear the menu’s entreaty “for two,” though it’s at least as hefty as the rice dish, which does. (15 E. 15th St., between Fifth Avenue and Union Square West, 212-647-0015) — Paul Adams (Reviewed March 14)

The Sun also selects:

Sushi Yasuda — A required pit stop for sushi purists in New York, chef Naomichi Yasuda chats with enthusiastic customers at the bar while serving some of the freshest fish in the city. Yasuda-san’s specials change daily. (204 E. 43rd St., between Second and Third avenues, 212-972-1001)

Nana — “Pan-Asian” might not be the most appealing label, but Nana’s mixed menu of Japanese sushi and Southeast Asian entrees bears it well, with tasty results. The Malaysian kueh teow noodles — fried in dark soy sauce with squid, shrimp, and egg — are spicy and fulfilling. (155 Fifth Ave., between Douglass and Degraw streets, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-230-3749)

Indian Bread Co. — Kathi rolls, a popular street snack in northern India, feature handmade flatbread rolled around various fillings. Instead of using store-bought pita bread, this restaurant makes its own chappatis, or griddle bread. The saag paneer filling, with the buttery griddle bread, is a perfect fast meal. (194 Bleecker St., between Sixth Avenue and MacDougal Street, 212-228-1909)

MOVIES

Han Jae-rim’s “The Show Must Go On” (2007) won accolades at the Cannes Film Festival for its story about a minor-league gangster trying to complete his first major assignment. Actor Song Kang-ho plays the lead role, combining the desperation his character feels about succeeding in the crime world, with his familiar obligations, which include threatening his daughter’s teachers with violence. This is a story of crime and passion, but with a touch of reality, as family drama plays a large role in this film. (Friday, 9 p.m., IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave. at 3rd Street, 212-924-7771, $11 general, $8 members)

Park Chan-wook’s “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Okay” (2006) is your typical love story — if that love story features a kleptomaniac and a cyborg who has machine guns in her fingers and battery lights in her toes. The lovebirds meet at a mental institution, where Il-soon (played by Korean megastar Rain) is locked away for refusing military duties, and Yeong-goon (played by Im Soo-Jung) is trapped because she believes she is a robot who needs to return her grandmother’s dentures. Yeonggoon soon becomes obsessed with her lover, demanding that he steal her emotions so that she can go on a killing rampage. “Happily ever after” takes on an entirely new dimension in this film. (Sunday, 6:20 p.m., IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave. at 3rd Street, 212-924-7771, $11 general, $8 members)