Presented by Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan and Japan Society, Family Portrait: Japanese Family in Flux examines the shifting dynamics and struggles of the Japanese household in contemporary cinema. Showcasing ten features, including premieres and revivals, Family Portrait confronts the complexities of familial bonds in the face of adversity—from intergenerational gaps to changing mores and traditions—bringing to question what truly defines a family and its values in a modern world.

Series highlights include the U.S. Premiere of Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s Yoko, starring Academy Award-nominated actress Rinko Kikuchi in a bravura performance as a woman hitchhiking more than 400 miles to her father’s funeral; the U.S. Premiere of Keiko Tsuruoka’s Tsugaru Lacquer Girl, the heart-tugging story of a family lacquerware business on the brink of collapse run by Kaoru Kobayashi of Midnight Diner fame and the daughter who strives to carry on its legacy despite deeply held traditional gender beliefs; and a Classics slate featuring a rare 35mm presentation of Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Twilight.

A special spotlight will shine on director Ryota Nakano, who has spent his career keenly capturing the complex feelings of families when faced with adversity. His latest film, The Asadas, centers on the power of family in the aftermath of the Fukushima tragedy and will be presented along with his two previous works, A Long Goodbye and Her Love Boils Bathwater. Nakano will appear in person at Family Portrait: Japanese Family in Flux to speak during select screenings and take part in a reception.

To purchase tickets, please visit Japan Society’s website, and visit IFC Center’s website to purchase tickets to the screening of Yoko on February 22.

© 2008 “Still Walking” Production Committee

Lineup and Schedule

Still Walking
Thursday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda | 2008 | 114 min. | Japanese with English subtitles. |. With Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, Kirin Kiki, Yoshio Harada

The Yokoyama family gathers for an annual commemoration of the eldest son, Junpei, who drowned 15 years ago while saving someone’s life. Over the course of the day, suppressed tensions and resentments are gradually revealed amidst forced pleasantries and shared meals as second son Ryo (Hiroshi Abe) endures feelings of inferiority in front of his curmudgeon father (Yoshio Harada) and passively judgmental mother (Kirin Kiki), both of whom disapprove of his recent marriage to a widow (Yui Natsukawa) with a ten-year-old son. Dedicated to his late mother, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2008 drama is among his most personal films—a masterfully directed, emotionally nuanced expression of the love, heartbreak, and comfort within family relationships—and a modern classic of Japanese cinema.

Tsugaru Lacquer Girl
Friday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Dir. Keiko Tsuruoka | 2023 | 118 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Mayu Hotta, Kaoru Kobayashi
U.S. Premiere

Traditional tsugaru-nuri lacquerwork is the Aoki family’s legacy, but their business is in decline and father Seishiro (Kaoru Kobayashi) doesn’t know if it will continue to the next generation. The family’s only hope is daughter Miyako (Mayu Hotta), but her desire to lead the family business upsets generations of customs, established gender roles, and Seishiro himself. Tsugaru Lacquer Girl vividly celebrates one of Japan’s most traditional arts and asks poignant questions about history, family, and if the past has a place in the future.

Muddy River
Saturday, February 17 at 4:00 p.m.
Dir. Kohei Oguri | 1981 | 105 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Takahiro Tamura, Yumiko Fujita, Mariko Kaga, Nobutaka Asahara

Taking place in working class Osaka eleven years after Japan’s defeat, Kohei Oguri’s naturalistic debut detailing an unforgettable summer friendship between two young boys is tinged with a poetic melancholy. Seen through the eyes of ten-year-old Nobuo, whose world is governed by the riverside traffic of sputtering barges, fishing boats, and a “monstrous carp,” Muddy River dwells on Nobuo’s last days of innocence as he befriends poor river dweller Kiichi, who lives nearby with his sister and mysterious mother (Mariko Kaga) on a ramshackle houseboat. Caught in the lives of its worn-down and impoverished residents—some still living the war, others dreaming of a new life—Oguri’s stunning black-and-white feature remains a heart-wrenching portrait of postwar Japan and its afflictions, the effects of which reverberate deep within the wordless exchanges and crestfallen faces of its downtrodden subjects.

Tokyo Twilight
Saturday, February 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Dir. Yasujiro Ozu | 1957 | 140 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Setsuko Hara, Ineko Arima, Chishu Ryu

In the thick of the industrial hums and billowing smokestacks of postwar Tokyo, Yasujiro Ozu’s crepuscular drama concerns the lives of elderly Shukichi’s (Chishu Ryu) two grown-up daughters, each taking lodgings at their father’s Tokyo home. Hemmed in by setbacks and personal troubles, Takako (Setsuko Hara) seeks refuge from her abusive husband while “delinquent” younger sister Akiko (Ineko Arima) faces the shock of an unplanned pregnancy. In delicate strokes, Ozu orchestrates Tokyo Twilight across waystations of contemporary Tokyo—from seedy mahjong parlors and Western-themed bars with Latin beats to desolate shipyards and train crossings. With quiet devastation and lingering regret, Ozu’s final black-and-white feature is one of his unequivocal masterpieces, a woeful melodrama illuminated against the fading light of day.

Hoyaman
Sunday, February 18 at 4:00 p.m.
Dir. Teruaki Shoji | 2023 | 106 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Afro, Kumi Kureshiro, Kodai Kurosaki
U.S. Premiere

A tearful comedy set on a beautiful island, Hoyaman follows the strange adventures of two fisherman brothers and a mysterious artist who drifts onto the island and into their lives. The three are at a crossroads in a deeply human story featuring ramen, superheroes, and tsunamis. Hoyaman tells the story of an unorthodox but modern family and the bonds that challenge us to grow. It’s director Teruaki Shoji’s feature film debut and filmed entirely on Ajishima, an island off the coast of his hometown of Ishinomaki. It features a cast of rising talent lead by Afro from the band MOROHA in his own movie debut.

Tokyo Sonata
Sunday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa | 2008 | 119 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Kai Inowaki., Yu Koyanagi

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s appropriately terrifying take on the domestic drama looks beyond the platitudes of familial values and empty promises of a happy life into the recesses of the human condition. Laid off in a wave of company downsizing, salaryman Ryuhei hides his misfortune, opting instead to deceive his family into thinking he still remains employed. Equally adrift are wife, Megumi (Kyoko Koizumi), yearning for someone to pull her out of her banal routines; teen Takashi, who sees no future living in Japan; and younger son Kenji, who simply desires to play the piano. Searching for catharsis, the family members begin to live out clandestine lives rather than confront their creeping divide. Winner of the Jury Prize of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Kurosawa’s cynical look at the subsurface decay and inadequacies of the traditional family points to its inherent breakdown.

Yoko
Thursday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Offsite Screening: IFC Center – 323 6th Avenue
Admission: $18 General | $15 Seniors and Children
To purchase tickets, please visit IFC Center’s website.
Dir. Kazuyoshi Kumakiri | 2023 | 113 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Rinko Kikuchi, Pistol Takehara, Asuka Kurosawa
U.S. Premiere

International star Rinko Kikuchi plays the titular Yoko in an unorthodox road movie that follows an isolated woman’s journey to hitchhike more than 400 miles to her estranged father’s funeral. As she encounters a sweeping range of travelers across her trek, what will Yoko learn from each of them, and what will they learn from her? And in crossing this physical distance, can Yoko mend the emotional distance between her father and herself?

Her Love Boils Bathwater
Friday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Admission: $18 General | $16 Seniors, Students, and Persons with Disabilities | $14 Japan
New York Premiere with Director Q&A and Reception
Dir. Ryota Nakano | 2016 | 125 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Rie Miyazawa, Hana Sugisaki, Joe Odagiri

Rie Miyazawa stars as Futaba, a single mother diagnosed with terminal cancer. With little time left, she sets out on a mission to reconnect her family, reuniting with her husband, reassuring her daughter, and bringing both together to save the family business. A popular and critical hit, Her Love Boils Bathwater won Miyazawa Best Actress and Hana Sugisaki Best Supporting Actress at the Japan Academy Awards, and the film was Japan’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.

A Long Goodbye
Saturday, February 24 at 4:00 p.m.
Dir. Ryota Nakano | 2019 | 127 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Yu Aoi, Yuko Takeuchi, Tsutomu Yamazaki
New York Premiere

Based on the book by Naoki Prize-winning writer Kyoko Nakajima, A Long Goodbye traces the gradual memory loss of the aging Shohei (Tsutomu Yamazaki) due to Alzheimer’s and the painful challenges and unexpected joys his two daughters experience as they return home to care for him. While Alzheimer’s robs Shohei of his past, his long goodbye brings new memories and a new closeness to his loved ones.

The Asadas
Saturday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Introduction by director Ryota Nakano and Followed by a Talk Session
Dir. Ryota Nakano | 2020 | 127 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Kazunari Ninomiya, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Masaki Suda

Inspired by real-life photographer Masashi Asada, director Ryota Nakano’s latest film balances humor and heart in an unexpectedly true story. As an energetic dreamer in a traditional family, Masashi (Kazunari Ninomiya)’s initial artistic endeavors are met with skepticism and little support, but in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Masashi’s photographic skills are given new purpose, and he embarks on a mission that brings his family—and families across Japan—together.

About the ACA Cinema Project

The ACA Cinema Project is a new initiative organized as part of the “Japan Film Overseas Expansion Enhancement Project,” an ongoing project founded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan (ACA) to create opportunities for the increased exposure, development, and appreciation of Japanese cinema overseas through screenings, symposiums, and other events held throughout the year. The ACA Cinema Project introduces a wide range of Japanese films in the United States, a major center of international film culture, together with local partners, such as Japan Society, IFC Center, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Linwood Dunn Theater.

Support JapanCulture•NYC by becoming a member! For $5 a month, you’ll help maintain the high quality of our site while we continue to showcase and promote the activities of our vibrant community. Please click here to begin your membership today!

Susan McCormac 11/14/23 Susan McCormac 11/14/23

Film at Lincoln Center to Spotlight Japan’s Cinematic Rebel

The Radical Cinema of Kijū Yoshida

Friday, December 1 through Friday, December 8

Walter Reade Theater – 165 W. 65th Street (unless otherwise noted)

Admission: $17 General Public | $14 Students, Seniors, individuals with disabilities | $12 Members

Film at Lincoln Center presents “The Radical Cinema of Kijū Yoshida,” a retrospective spotlighting the films of one of Japan’s greatest cinematic rebels. Running from December 1 through 8, all 16 films will be presented on 35mm or 16mm at Film at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, and Japan Society.

The retrospective presents the most comprehensive collection of Yoshida’s work ever screened in the United States. Most notably, the series will feature Yoshida’s famed political trilogy, which captures significant moments in 20th century Japanese history: Eros + Massacre (1968), regarded as his masterpiece; Heroic Purgatory (1970), a kaleidoscopic, mazelike memory piece about an atomic engineer whose past as a college-age revolutionary militant erupts into the present; and Coup d’état (1973), a spellbinding portrait of notorious militarist Ikki Kita.

To purchase tickets, please visit Film at Lincoln Center’s website. Use promo code OKADA to enjoy $5 off all ticket purchases.

Lineup

Good-for-Nothing
Friday, December 1 at 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 5 at 8:45 p.m.

Yoshida’s debut feature vividly depicts the ennui and intellectual and spiritual restlessness of a generation of bourgeois youth in Tokyo at the dawn of the 1960s.

Blood Is Dry
Friday, December 1 at 4:15 p.m.
Saturday, December 2 at 8:30 p.m.

Yoshida’s satirical second feature again ferociously critiques Japanese society following its postwar reinvention as a capitalist giant.

Eros + Massacre
Friday, December 1 at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 5 at 2:00 p.m.

Among the greatest of all political films and perhaps the work that best embodies the spirit of Yoshida’s artistic project, Eros + Massacre is an epic, historiographic examination of the points of intersection between the domains of desire and politics.

Affair in the Snow
Saturday, December 2 at 1:00 p.m.

A love triangle plays out in the snow in Yoshida’s eleventh feature, a striking deconstruction of the melodrama.

Heroic Purgatory
Saturday, December 2 at 3:15 p.m.

The second film in a trilogy (inaugurated by Eros + Massacre) concerning 20th century Japanese history, Heroic Purgatory is a kaleidoscopic, mazelike memory piece that is perhaps Yoshida’s most recognizably avant-garde work.

The Affair
Saturday, December 2 at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 6 at 1:00 p.m.

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center – 144 W. 65th Street

Again using the melodrama genre as an instrument of oblique social critique, Yoshida’s ninth feature stars Mariko Okada as a woman trapped in a loveless marriage to a philandering businessman who finds herself mysteriously drawn toward an old lover of her deceased mother’s.

Akitsu Springs
Sunday, December 3 at 1:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 7 at 1:00 p.m.

The first great commercial success of his young career, Akitsu Springs is a tear-jerking romance that finds Yoshida working in color and in collaboration with his frequent star and lifelong filmmaking partner Mariko Okada (in her 100th on-screen appearance).

Wuthering Heights
Sunday, December 3 at 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 7 at 3:30 p.m.

Emily Brontë’s Gothic romance is transposed to feudal Japan for Yoshida’s powerfully stark, elemental take on the story.

18 Who Cause a Storm
Sunday, December 3 at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, December 6 at 3:15 p.m.

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center – 144 W. 65th Street

A group of migrant workers fed up with their being ruthlessly exploited by the society around them lash out in Yoshida’s rugged widescreen chronicle of proletarian unrest.

Women in the Mirror
Sunday, December 3 at 9:00 p.m.

In his final fiction feature, Yoshida returned to an old subject in his work: the unfathomable trauma known by Japan due to the United States’s dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Flame and Women
Tuesday, December 5 at 6:30 p.m.

Yoshida returned to the melodrama—this time synthesizing elements of the horror film in the process—with this chronicle of a woman’s suddenly swelling desire for her child’s biological father.

Coup d’état
Wednesday, December 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center – 144 W. 65th Street

The culminating film in the trilogy formed by Eros + Massacre and Heroic Purgatory, Yoshida’s 16th feature is a spellbinding portrait of notorious militarist Ikki Kita, whose 1936 attempt at staging a coup against the Japanese government would later serve as inspiration to the similarly controversial nationalist writer Yukio Mishima some years later.

A Promise
Wednesday, December 6 at 8:45 p.m. – Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center
Friday, December 8 at 9:00 p.m. – Japan Society

Yoshida came out of his feature filmmaking retirement with this typically idiosyncratic meditation on what was, at the time, a taboo topic: euthanasia.

Farewell to the Summer Light
Thursday, December 7 at 6:30 p.m.

A fascinating transitional film for Yoshida, Farewell to the Summer Light finds the restless iconoclast heading to Europe to tell the tale of an on-again-off-again romance between Naoko, a married expat who specializes in import-export (Mariko Okada), and Makoto (Tadashi Yokouchi), a Japanese scholar who is searching for a cathedral that served as the architectural inspiration for a church built in Nagasaki by Portuguese missionaries.

Confessions Among Actresses
Thursday, December 7 at 8:45 p.m.

Something like Yoshida’s response to Ingmar Bergman’s Persona, Confessions Among Actresses finds Yoshida teaming up with three prominent Japanese actresses—Mariko Okada, Ruriko Asaoka, and Ineko Arima, each renowned for playing eminently modern women who have been wronged by the men around them—to craft a fragmentary, perpetually shapeshifting work on the relationship between performance and trauma.

A Story Written with Water
Friday, December 8 at 6:00 p.m.

Japan Society – 333 E. 47th Street

Bearing a title inspired by John Keats’s epitaph and taken from the Yōjirō Ishizaka novel it adapts, Yoshida’s first independent film is a startling affair, depicting the unbreakable love of mother and child.

For full descriptions of the films and to learn more about Kijū Yoshida, please visit Film at Lincoln Center’s website.

Susan McCormac 11/2/23 Susan McCormac 11/2/23

Asia Society to Co-Host NYJCF

New York Japan CineFest 2023

Friday, November 3 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. (Opening reception)

Saturday, November 4 from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. (Shodo performance)

Asia Society – 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street

Admission: $15 Adults | $8 Members

New York Japan CineFest, a film festival that introduces Japanese-themed short films, is celebrating its twelfth anniversary this weekend. The two-day event will present a total of16 short films and is co-hosted by Asia Society and Mar Creation in partnership with JICC-Japan Information and Culture Center (Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.), Short Shorts Film Festival, Boston Japan Film Festival, Aichi International Women’s Film Festival, and Tokyo Independent Movie Festival.

Day One features seven short films selected by JICC and NYJCF; Day Two includes two programs: “Japanese Film Festivals” at 1:00 p.m. and “Long Story Short” at 3:30 p.m. “Japanese Film Festivals” consist of six short films in association with five Japanese film festivals such as Short Shorts Film Festival, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. “Long Story to Short” features four shorts that are relatively long, more than 20 minutes.

The 2023 program includes director Daichi Amano’s Don’t Go, in which fragments of the memories of a deceased father can be accessed using a special device; TOKYO ANIMAL by Toshiki Yashiro, a collection of five vignettes about life in Tokyo; Seen, a love story directed by Shinji Hamasaki and based on Ryūnosuke Akutagawa’s short story "The Nose”; and Oshirasama, Takako Saga’s look at a mysterious folk belief in Japan's Tohoku region. This year’s highlight is Shuhari, a documentary that was produced by NYJCF co-founders Kosuke Furukawa and Hiroshi Kono.

For full details and to purchase tickets, please visit Asia Society’s website. Students and Seniors should contact Asia Society’s box office at 212-517-ASIA (2742) for a discounted price. NYJCF is offering a special discount for JapanCulture•NYC members! Not a member? Join today at https://www.japanculture-nyc.com/membership!

*Third Wheel*, Directed by Kevin Haefelin

Day One – Friday, November 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Films selected by NYJCF and the Japan Information & Culture Center organized by Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.

Third Wheel

Dir. Kevin Haefelin | 2023 | 4:50 | comedy, drama, period, fantastic | Switzerland
Edo Period. Following his abrupt death, Gohei, a master carpenter, returns as a ghost to make peace with his wife, Sachi, but finds out he is invisible. He must rely on Sakichi, his once-neglected apprentice, who is gifted with psychic abilities.

What To Do To Be Like You

Dir. Chris Rudz | 2022 | 5:01 | comedy | Japan
Young Natsumi returns to the island of her ancestor to become an Ama-san, a traditional female diver of Japan. She follows her mentor, Reiko, who's the best Ama-san in the area, to discover her secrets.
In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

Aufguss

Dir. Daigo Matsui | 2022 | 24:52 | drama | Japan
A sauna spa that has been in business for 50 years is about to reach the very last day but without letting any of its regular customers know. Toji, an aufgussmeister, is preparing for the last aufguss session, and the regular customers are puzzled about why he is so fired up. This is a story about the special night of a small sauna business.
In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

The Floating World

Dir. Hiroshi Yokota | 2023 | 15:17 | documentary | Japan
When a university student struggling with an environmental studies assignment searches for inspiration at an art gallery, she is magically transported into a painting and lands in 19th-century Japan. In Edo, today’s Tokyo, she witnesses a range of everyday sustainable practices––using ashes in the dyeing process, fertilizing fields with night soil, repurposing used kimonos into towels and rags––that helped the country overcome environmental collapse.

Shuhari (World Premiere)

Dir. Tatsuya Ino | 2023 | 12:36 | documentary | Japan, USA
Born and raised in Kyoto, Japanese calligrapher Chifumi Niimi teaches students not only how to write characters beautifully but also break through tradition to develop self-esteem and find a new you through shodo (Japanese calligraphy).

The Swamp

Dir. Sorao Sakimura | 2023 | 4:55 | animation | Japan
He, in the painful days of living deep in a shell, picks up a stone. It gains an identity in a moment and becomes a different individual from him. It pulls him up and takes him somewhere he would never imagine. This is written as a record of the writer himself, who has kept creating while feeling the hardness of life.
In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

Seen

Dir. Shinji Hamasaki | 2022 | 23:37 | drama | Japan
A love story based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short story "The Nose." Tatsuya, a man afflicted with a nose complex, meets Fumi, a reclusive woman with an eye patch. Both burdened with their emotional scars, the two find themselves drawn to each other.
In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

*Tokyo Animals*, Directed by Toshiki Yashiro

Day Two – Saturday, November 4 at 1:00 p.m.

“Japanese Film Festivals”

Tokyo Animals

Dir. Toshiki Yashiro | 2022 | 7:58 | drama | Japan
Directed by Toshiki Yashiro, Tokyo Animals is a collection of five scenarios, five vignettes about life in Tokyo. A life where things in the fore fall toward the back, until they circle back again into focus. A circular movement that is often palpable in our crammed little town. Whether it be the rigid rituals of a salaryman, empty gestures by empty people, or the sexualization of all things living or not. Bizarre little things populate the city.
In association with Boston Japan Film Festival (BJFF)

COUNT 100

Dir. Hiroshi Tamaki | 2023 | 20:00 | SciFi | Japan
Professional boxer Mitsuki was once the champion. One day, he was handed a mysterious leaflet on the street.
In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

Oshirasama

Dir. Takako Saga | 2023 | 11:47 | animation | Japan
In this folktale of Japan's Tohoku region related to a mysterious folk belief called "Oshirasama,” a girl gets a horse from her father and takes care of it affectionately, then eventually, they fall in (carnal) love with each other. Maddened by the fact, the father kills the horse, but the horse's corpse takes the girl away with it to the other world up in the sky. To her weeping parents in despair, the girl appears in their dream and tells them about silkworms. With threads and cloth from the silkworms they keep, the girl's parents become able to earn their living, and they later make a pair of wooden figures after their daughter and the horse to worship as their gods.
In association With Aichi International Women’s Film Festival (AIWFF)

Minwoo and Rie

Dir. Jinrung Chun | 2022 | 26:19 | drama | Japan
Rie, from Japan, visits Gunsan, Korea, to deliver her grandfather’s unsent letter. With a help of a local boy, Minwoo, she gets closer to the addressee yet acknowledges what her grandpa did during the period of Japanese colonialism.
In association with Tokyo Independent Movie Festival (TIMF)

The Old Young Crow

Dir. Liam LoPinto | 2022 | 12:00 | mystery, thriller, animation | Japan
An Iranian boy befriends an old Japanese woman at a graveyard in Tokyo.
In association with New York Japan CineFest: FilmFreeway

Shuhari

Dir. Tatsuya Ino | 2023 | 12:36 | documentary | Japan, USA
Second screening

Day Two – Saturday, November 4 at 3:30 p.m.

“Long Story to Short”

Blue and White

Dir. Hiroyuki Nishiyama | 2022 | 27:22 | documentary | Japan, USA
Ryusuke, mourning his wife, ceaselessly crafts salt, even during her funeral. Witnessing this, granddaughter Midori probes his motives. Safeguarding the region's unique salt-making legacy is Ryusuke's mission. In conversing with salt, he strives to pass down its ancient flavor. Could Ryusuke's bond with salt link him to his departed wife?

Scabiosa

Dir. Tsuyoshi Takamura | 2022 | 19:47 | drama | Japan
Haruka is unexpectedly asked to attend the memorial service for Instagrammer Hina. At the service, Hina's relatives share their memories of her. Unable to bear the situation any longer, Haruka runs from the scene.
In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

Nisei

Dir. Darren Haruo Rae | 2023 | 21:18 | drama, action | USA
Based on stories from Rae’s grandfather, Nisei follows the journey of two Japanese American brothers during World War II, Minoru and John Miyasaki. Stripped of their citizenship and placed in internment camps, they volunteer for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an all-Japanese American unit that sacrificed everything to prove their loyalty to a country that didn’t want them. Torn between country and family, they must face the enemy overseas along with adversity back home.

Don’t Go

Dir. Daichi Amano | 2023 | 24:46 | drama | Japan
Enter a world where fragments of memory of the dead can be accessed using a special device. A father, who lied about his whereabouts, dies in a car accident in a seaside town. His bereaved family dives into his memory to uncover his secret.

About New York Japan CineFest

NYJCF was founded in 2012 by three Japanese producers based in New York: Yasu Suzuki, an actor, dancer, and filmmaker; film director Kosuke Furukawa; and Hiroshi Kono, CEO of Mar Creation, Inc. The festival highlights independent filmmakers who are committed to expressing their voice and vision to the world. Their mission is to explore and find unique talent, supporting filmmakers' work, vision, and causes while providing a playground for creativity in New York City. Since 2015, the film festival has been invited to screen its programs in multiple cities, including Boston; Washington, D.C.; Houston; Los Angeles; and San Francisco. Follow them on Instagram.

Susan McCormac 7/24/23 Susan McCormac 7/24/23

JAPAN CUTS Film Festival Returns to Japan Society

JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film

Wednesday, July 26 through Sunday, August 6

Japan Society – 333 E. 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)

Admission: $18 Nonmembers | $14 Japan Society Members | $16 Seniors and Students

Japan Society presents 16th annual JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film, its first fully in-person JAPAN CUTS since 2019. The largest festival showcasing contemporary Japanese cinema in North America, this year’s JAPAN CUTS takes place from July 26 through August 6 and features more than 25 films. From major blockbusters to indie darlings, narratives, documentaries, experimental and short films, and anime, the festival truly celebrates the breadth of Japanese cinema.

There will be five International Premieres, ten North American Premieres, seven U.S. Premieres, three East Coast Premieres, and three New York Premieres. Six special guests and two parties are also on the schedule. One of the special guests is acclaimed actor Yuya Yagira, who will receive the JAPAN CUTS 2023 CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film for his role in the festival’s Centerpiece film, Under the Turquoise Sky by director KENTARO. Yagira has starred in more than 50 films and television series, and with his performance as the lead role in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Nobody Knows, he became the youngest actor ever to win the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

To purchase tickets, please visit Japan Society’s website. Great news for JapanCulture•NYC members! Japan Society is generously offering a 15% discount for all screenings. If you are a JapanCulture•NYC member, you’ll receive a special discount code via email. Not a member yet? It’s easy! Simply go to JapanCulture-NYC.com to register!

JAPAN CUTS Full Schedule

Wednesday, July 26

The First Slam Dunk – 7:00 p.m. SOLD OUT
Dir. Takehiko Inoue | 2022 | 124 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Shugo Nakamura, Jun Kasama, Shinichio Kamio, Subaru Kimura, Kenta Miyake
East Coast Premiere. Winner of the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Animation of the Year. SLAM DUNK is a beloved manga which was serialized from 1990-1996 and has sold m 170 million copies globally. THE FIRST SLAM DUNK marks original manga creator Takehiko Inoue’s directorial debut and is the first new feature-length film from the iconic franchise in 33 years. The film follows Shohoku High School basketball team point guard Ryota Miyagi (Shugo Nakamura) as he takes the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship, and the pressure to challenge the reigning champions is on! Can Ryota and his teammates defeat the imposing Sannoh Kogyo High School?
Followed by Opening Night Party

Thursday, July 27

SHORT CUTS Program 1 – 3:30 p.m.
Flashback Before Death
Dir. Rii Ishihara and Hiroyuki Onogawa | 2022 | 30 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Rii Ishihara, Masatoshi Kihara, Hanae Seike
North American Premiere. The directorial debut of composer Hiroyuki Onogawa—best known for his collaborations with Sogo (Gakuryu) Ishii starting with August in the Water (1995)—and his wife, Rii Ishihara, Flashback Before Death is a cryptic and eerie short composed of disassociated flashbacks that follow a young man’s return home in 1930s Japan.

Silent Movie
Dir. Masamichi Kawata, Satoru Hirohara, and Hiroshi Gokan | 2022 | 56 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Ichiro Kataoka, Hiroaki Kawaguchi, Ikuhiko Aoyama
International Premiere. Nine students and three alumni from Tokyo University of the Arts’ Film Department create eleven silent films spanning samurai tales, mysteries, thrillers, animation, and even giant monsters. See the next generation of filmmakers play with cinema’s past. All films narrated by renowned benshi storyteller Ichiro Kataoka.

JOO5311 – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Hiroki Kono | 2022 | 93 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Kazuaki Nomura, Hiroki Kono
International Premiere. Winner of the Grand Prize at the 2022 Pia Film Festival, this impressive bare-bones debut feature by actor-turned-director Hiroki Kono (Special Actors) follows 26-year-old salaryman Kanzaki (Kazuaki Nomura) as he attempts to leave Tokyo for an unidentified location hours away. Unable to go by taxi, he solicits the help of a petty thief (Kono) to drive him in exchange for ¥1 million in cash—a mysterious offer with grim implications. A deeply affecting minimalist road movie that makes daring use of long takes, handheld camera work and silence—written, directed, edited and co-starring Kono—J005311 is low-budget independent filmmaking par excellence.

Best Wishes to All – 9:00 p.m
Dir. Yuta Shimotsu | 2023 | 89 min.| Japanese with English subtitles |. With Kotone Furukawa
North American Premiere. What would you do for happiness? Director Yuta Shimotsu answers in his feature film debut. Executive produced by Takashi Shimizu (creator of Ju On: The Grudge) and starring Kotone Furukawa (Berlinale Silver Bear winner for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy), Best Wishes to All follows a young woman’s visit to her grandparents’ home and her discovery of what’s brought them happiness—a revelation that will lead her to question her choices, sanity, and reality itself. Best Wishes to All starts slow and builds to a frantic, manic, and disturbingly satisfying end.

Friday, July 28

SHORT CUTS Program 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Detouring Blue
Dir. Ryo Kimura | 2023 | 24 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Saori Mori, Mai Hikagedate, Ami Kamimura
New York Premiere. In the dark of the Tokyo night, two women talk about their past, their youth, and their dreams. Beautifully shot and told with vivid colors, Detouring Blue looks at the wistfulness of the past, the weight of the present—and if who we were can ever be who we are today.

Okamoto Kitchen
Dir. Gerald Abraham | 2023 | 12 min. | English | With Cristina Vee.
East Coast Premiere. A crowd-funded anime from LA’s very real Japanese fusion comfort food truck Okamoto Kitchen, JAPAN CUTS presents the start of this global project blending Japanese and Western talent to create a unique cross-cultural flavor. Featuring character designs by Takuya and Asusa Saito, key art by anime studio Magic Bus, music by Layla Lane, and starring voice actress Cristina Vee.

Setagaya Game
Dir. Go Ohara and Ken Ohara | 2022 | 40 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Reiji Takahashi, Akari Natsume, Sho Iizaka.
International Premiere. Big action on a little budget, brothers Go and Ken Ohara bring together years of stunt and action directing experience to tell the tale of Takeru (Reiji Takahashi) and the deadly game he’s forced to play. The clock is ticking for him to save a life, but is the game really what it seems?

I Am What I Am – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Shinya Tamada | 2022 | 105 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Toko Miura, Atsuko Maeda
North American Premiere. Thirty-year-old Kasumi (Toko Miura in her first starring role since Drive My Car) works at a call center and lives at home with her family, often pestered by her worrisome mother who desperately wants her to get married, even going so far as to set up an omiai, or arranged marriage interview, to marry her off. The reality is that Kasumi cannot harbor romantic feelings for others. Aided by her cheerful and equally outsider friend Maho, played by the ever-charming Atsuko Maeda, Kasumi simply desires to live without the rigid gender roles and expectations that dictate how young women should submit themselves to constructed ideals of love and marriage. An anti-rom com by any measure, I Am What I Am is a liberating departure from the conceit that romantic love equates happiness and a life fulfilled.

Plastic © 2023 Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences

Plastic – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Daisuke Miyazaki | 2023 | 104 min | Japanese with English subtitles | With An Ogawa, Takuma Fujie, Kyoko Koizumi
Q&A with director Daisuke Miyazaki.
International Premiere. Decades after the breakup of their favorite band Exne Kedy and the Poltergeists (a fictional project by artist Kensuke Ide and producer You Ishihara of Yura Yura Teikoku fame), music obsessives Jun and Ibuki (An Ogawa, Heaven Is Still Far Away) bond over their mutual love for the ‘70s glam rock band, falling deeply in love in the process. But as difficulties arise in their dreams and priorities, the couple break apart. The surprise announcement of an Exne Kedy reunion, however, brings promise of a new tomorrow. The latest from director Daisuke Miyazaki (Tourism), Plastic is a life-affirming jolt to the system, celebrating the cosmic power of music and the joys of growing up and falling in love in a charming and heartfelt coming of age tale.

Saturday, July 29

Father of the Milky Way Railroad – Noon
Dir. Izuru Narushima | 2023 | 128 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Koji Yakusho, Masaki Suda, Nana Mori
U.S. Premiere. Virtually unknown as a writer in his lifetime, the poet and novelist Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) is among Japan’s most read and beloved authors of children’s stories. This moving biopic—based on the best-selling, Naoki Prize-winning novel named after Miyazawa’s most famous story—traces the genius writer’s brief but amazing life through his relationship with his loving father Masajiro (Koji Yakusho), a successful pawnbroker and modern man of the Meiji era who struggles to keep up with his eccentric son’s ambitions. A wonderfully heartfelt tribute to the “Hans Christian Andersen of Japan,” played with gusto by Masaki Suda (Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High).

I Am a Comedian – 3:30 p.m.
Dir. Fumiari Hyuga | 2022 | 108 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Daisuke Muramoto
North American Premiere. After winning a 2013 manzai competition with his partner (performing together as Woman Rush Hour), standup comedian Daisuke Muramoto begins using his act to address politically verboten social issues such as nuclear disasters and Zainichi Korean discrimination. Before long, the pair’s television opportunities disappear—a consequence of the widely understood but unwritten rule that comedians making political comments in Japanese media are simply “not tolerated.” In this intimate documentary, director Fumiari Hyuga (Tokyo Kurds) follows Muramoto for three years as he continues to challenge the status quo as a comedian while facing the added challenges of his father’s disapproval and a worldwide epidemic.

Tokyo Melody: A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto – 7:00 p.m. SOLD OUT
Dir. Elizabeth Lennard |1985 | 62 min. | 16mm | Japanese, English, and French with English subtitles | With Ryuichi Sakamoto, Akiko Yano
Opening comments by Akiko Yano; Screening followed by a Q&A with Director Elizabeth Lennard.
Imported 16mm Print. Filmmaker and photographer Elizabeth Lennard secures unprecedented access to Ryuichi Sakamoto during the recording of his 1984 album Ongaku Zukan in this brief-yet-insightful Franco-Japanese television co-production. A sampling of studio sessions and performances (including a piano duet with then-wife Akiko Yano), archival footage and talking head interviews, Tokyo Melody finds the eccentric artist at his creative peak, pushing the envelope to new sonic frontiers as he reflects on modern life, shifting technologies and his own creative processes. Lennard captures an awe-inspiring portrait of the extraordinary musician—one that taps into the very nature of the artist’s raison d’être and remains a testament to Sakamoto’s profound brilliance.

Hand – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Daigo Matsui | 2022 | 99 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Akari Fukunaga, Daichi Kaneko
North American Premiere. Since her youth—and not-so-subtly informed by her own father—25-year-old Sawako (Akari Fukunaga) has had a deep curiosity about older men. Sawako’s observations and liaisons are humorous and amusing even as her fascination manifests into a scrapbook of candid photos of unassuming older “happy” men. Adroitly adapting Nao-Cola Yamazaki’s novel of the same name, Hand engages headfirst with female desire, male fragility, and self-discovery through the eyes of its witty and mild-mannered protagonist. Belonging to a string of new pinku productions celebrating 50 years of Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno, Daigo Matsui’s charming erotic tale stays true to the softcore label’s legacy (most notably, a requisite sex scene every ten or so minutes) while refreshingly modernizing its roots.
This film is unrated but not recommended for audiences under 18 years of age due to strong sexual content.

Sunday, July 30

Sanka: Nomads of the Mountain – Noon
Dir. Ryohei Sasatani |2022 | 77 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Rairu Sugata, Naru Komukai
North American Premiere. A stirring 1960s-set coming-of-age drama that confronts societal progress and development in Japan’s mountainous regions, Sanka: Nomads of the Mountain focuses on the life of young Norio, a Tokyo transplant who has come to live in his grandmother’s village. Living under the shadow of his strict and demanding father, Norio befriends a group of Sanka, a wandering people, who reside in the foothills beyond his home. Beautifully shot and bolstered by compelling performances, Sanka‘s human drama delivers a melancholic and moving reflection on the societal conflicts and turmoil prevalent in postwar Japan, while also depicting the struggles of a nomadic tribe when its way of life is threatened by the onset of modernity.
Winner of the JAPAN CUTS Award at the 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival

Single8 – 2:30 p.m.
Dir. Kazuya Konaka | 2022 | 113 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Yu Uemura, Akari Takaishi
New York Premiere. After seeing Star Wars for the first time in the summer of 1978, high schooler Hiroshi (Yu Uemura) can’t stop thinking about the film’s famous opening shot of a Star Destroyer entering the frame. This obsession eventually leads him to propose making a film with his classmates for their summer festival group project, a sci-fi love story called “Time Reverse.” But will his crush Natsumi (Akari Takaishi) accept the lead role? A nostalgic, feel-good comedy that hearkens back to director Kazuya Konaka’s salad days as a student filmmaker, Single8 celebrates youth, creativity, and the life-changing possibilities of cinema.

The Legend and Butterfly © 2023 THE LEGEND & BUTTERFLY Production Committee

The Legend & Butterfly – 5:30 p.m. SOLD OUT
Dir. Keishi Otomo | 2023 | 168 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Takuya Kimura, Haruka Ayase
Introduced by and followed by a Q&A with director Keishi Otomo.
North American Theatrical Premiere. A sweeping historical romance created to celebrate Toei’s 70th anniversary, The Legend & Butterfly casts megastars Takuya Kimura as Oda Nobunaga and Haruka Ayase as his wife, Nohime. While Oda Nobunaga is one of Japan’s most well-documented historical figures, virtually no information about Nohime remains, and The Legend & Butterfly fills this mystery with a turbulent, thoroughly modern romance. A Sengoku era take on the expression “behind every great man lies a great woman,” The Legend & Butterfly sees more than 30 years of defining moments in Japanese history driven by powerful, private moments between Nobunaga and Nohime.

Tuesday, August 1

Amiko – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Yusuke Morii | 2022 | 104 min. Japanese with English subtitles | With Kana Osawa, Arata Iura, Machiko Ono
North American Premiere. This remarkable debut from director Yusuke Morii is set in the mountainous vistas of a provincial coastal town brimming with day-to-day excitements for oddball grade-schooler Amiko, whose endless imagination fixates on insects, schoolyard crushes and even the mole on her mother’s chin. Despite her good intentions, Amiko is often misunderstood, remaining at odds with family and classmates who find her strange and whimsical ways off-putting. Featuring a truly captivating breakthrough performance by newcomer Kana Osawa—one that recalls the tour-de-force resilience of Tomoko Tabata in Moving—and a score by popular folk musician Ichiko Aoba, Amiko is charged with a palpable sense of childhood wonderment that consistently finds new and surprising ways of seeing the world, even in the face of tragedy and misfortune.

Wandering – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Sang-il Lee | 2022 | 150 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Suzu Hirose, Tori Matsuzaka
U.S. Premiere. A sprawling account of the alleged kidnapping of a nine-year-old young girl by a university student and the years-long repercussions of the event, Wandering delves into the gray area of the circumstances in question. Fifteen years after their initial encounter, Sarasa runs into her accused captor Fumi, bringing forth a deluge of memories and recollections. Based on the novel by Yu Nagira, Wandering dwells on challenging ethical and moral complexities with director Sang-il Lee (Villain, Rage) offering no easy answers in this compelling, thought-provoking drama.
Recommended for mature audiences.

Wednesday, August 2

Saga Saga – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Aimi Natsuto | 2023 | 114 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Rena Matsui, Sae Okazaki, Sara Kurashima
U.S. Premiere. After a brief stint as an actress in Tokyo, 28-year-old Kyoko (Rena Matsui) returns to her hometown in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. Before long she meets Nahoko (Sae Okazaki), an eccentric young woman who introduces herself as a fan but is secretly stalking Kyoko. She also meets Anna (Sara Kurashima), a high school student under the care of her deceased mother’s best friend, whom Kyoko unwittingly learns is her half-sister. What connects these three lonely women, they soon discover, is more than just coincidence but a shared history of family trauma. An elegant, ambitious, and complex sophomore feature by writer/director Aimi Natsuto (Jeux de plage).

Winny – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Yusaku Matsumoto | 2023 | 127 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Masahiro Higashide, Takahiro Miura, Hidetaka Yoshioka
North American Premiere. In this thrilling procedural based on true events, Masahiro Higashide (Asako I & II) plays real-life computer programmer Isamu Kaneko, inventor of the peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program Winny, released in 2002. After Winny users are arrested for illegally uploading games and movies, Kaneko is apprehended by the Kyoto Prefectural Police department under dubious circumstances with the charged crime of intentionally “proliferating piracy” and abetting the violation of copyright laws. Recognizing the implication of Kaneko’s unjust arrest on Japan’s future computer engineers, Toshimitsu Dan (Takahiro Miura), a lawyer specializing in cybercrime, takes on the unprecedented case.

Thursday, August 3

When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Yuho Ishibashi | 2022 | 76 min. | Japanese with English subtitles |With Erika Karata, Haruka Imou, Kazuma Ishibashi
Followed by a Q&A with Director Yuho Ishibashi.
International Premiere. A delicate and gentle drama, Yuho Ishibashi’s sophomore effort softly envelops the viewer into the day-to-day life of part-time konbini worker Nozomi, charmingly played by Asako I & II’s Erika Karata. Living a simple, carefree life, Nozomi’s preoccupations include tending to home repair, awkwardly chatting with younger coworkers under the humdrum of convenience store Muzak, and stocking shelves—as well as the occasional late shift. A chance encounter with a former junior high classmate reconnects her to the world and through subtle intimations, Nozomi’s past unfolds, detailing her professional career as an overworked corporate assistant. A sensitive exploration of vying for one’s own happiness, When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty is a deeply humanizing affirmation that a fulfilling life can exist outside of societal pressure and expectation.
Winner of the JAPAN CUTS Award at the 2023 Osaka Asian Film Festival

Convenience Story – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Satoshi Miki | 2022 | 97 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Ryo Narita, Atsuko Maeda
New York Premiere. Stuck in a rut as a deadbeat screenwriter with a reputation for unoriginal “male fantasy films,” Kato (Ryo Narita) struggles to find inspiration for his next script. That is, however, until a supernatural occurrence at a konbini transports him to an alternate dimension where he meets young, pretty Keiko (Atsuko Maeda) and her eccentric, classical music-obsessed husband. Will they provide the creative spark he needs? This latest offbeat fantasy from Satoshi Miki (It’s Me, It’s Me) takes a playful jab at the filmmaking industry and its surreal absurdities, co-scripted by longtime Japan Times film critic and writer Mark Schilling.

Friday, August 4

Under the Turquoise Sky Centerpiece Film & Party – 7:00 p.m. SOLD OUT
Dir. KENTARO | 2021 | 95 min. | Japanese and Mongolian with English subtitles | With Yuya Yagira, Amra Baljinnyam, Akaji Maro
Introduction and Q&A with Director KENTARO and Actor Yuya Yagira; Followed by Centerpiece Party.
U.S. Premiere. An international co-production bringing together a Japanese, Mongolian, French, Australian, and Chilean team, Under the Turquoise Sky from director KENTARO follows the spoiled Takeshi (played by Japanese star Yuya Yagira) who is sent out to the Mongolian countryside by his wealthy grandfather (legendary actor and Butoh master Akaji Maro). Together with his Mongolian guide (Mongolian leading man Amra Baljinnyam), Takeshi’s travels lead to stunning vistas, profound mysteries, and personal growth. A lush road movie with touches of the surreal, Under the Turquoise Sky casts a spell with humblingly beautiful directing, acting and cinematography.
The screening is followed by the Centerpiece Party.

“I believe that life is also like a road movie. Like life itself, the magic of a road movie is that you do not know where it takes you. The saturated primary colors of the Mongolian landscape serve as an example, like a reticent mentor of deep simplicity, in contrast to the protagonist Takeshi’s habitual materially rich and modern, yet monochromatic lifestyle. The landscape thus serves as a supporting “actor,” confirming the necessary presence of Amra in guiding Takeshi through an almost-shamanic rite of passage to finally understand his destiny.” —KENTARO
Under the Turquoise Sky is the recipient of the FIPRESCI International Film Critics Award

Saturday, August 5

The Fish Tale – Noon
Dir. Shuichi Okita | 2022 | 139 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Non, Yuya Yagira, Kaho
East Coast Theatrical Premiere. Director Shuichi Okita (Mori, The Artist’s Habitat) paints a whimsical portrait of very real celebrity fish expert Masayuki Miyazawa (called Meebo in the film). The Fish Tale follows Meebo’s ichthyological obsession from the rough waters of their initial years as an outcast to a rising tide of friends, family, and celebrity. Inspirationally, actress Non is cast in the lead male role, and her outsider energy enchants every frame of the film. Quickly, heartfelt, and oddball, Non delivers a joyous performance that makes it impossible not to get caught in the net of Meebo’s fish fixation.

Under the Turquoise Sky Encore Screening – 3:30 p.m. SOLD OUT
Introduction and Q&A with Director KENTARO and Actor Yuya Yagira

© People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind Film

People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind – 6:30 p.m.
Dir. Yurina Kaneko | 2023 | 109 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Kanata Hosoda, Ren Komai, Yuzumi Shintani
U.S. Premiere. An adaptation of the Ao Omae novella of the same name, People Who Talk to Plushies are Kind is a warm and comforting alternative to the typical youth film. Concentrating on a trio of college students, Plushies tracks their extracurricular immersion into the student-run Plushies Club. A safe haven for withdrawn and sensitive youths who prefer the company of stuffed animals, the students find differing qualities in the reflective space as director Yurina Kaneko confronts issues of masculinity, gender, and acceptance in contemporary society.

From the End of the World – 9:30 p.m.
Dir. Kaz I Kiriya | 2023 | 135 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Aoi Ito, Katsuya Maiguma, Aya Asahina | Special cameo by Shunji Iwai
U.S. Premiere. Kazuaki Kiriya’s first feature film in eight years is the story of the final two weeks of the planet Earth and the young girl (Aoi Ito) who has the power to save it. The imaginative director of Casshern and Goemon returns to the big screen with a film ripe with his trademark daring visuals and a mind- and time-bending narrative. From the ancient past to the far future, From the End of the World is a science fiction feast both deeply intimate and epic in scale that traces the ley lines of dreams, destiny, and a young girl’s heart.

Sunday, August 6

MONDAYS: See you “this” week! – Noon
Dir. Ryo Takebayash | 2022 | 83 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Wan Marui, Makita Sports
North American Premiere. Live. Work. Repeat. Akemi Yoshikawa (Wan Marui) pulls an all-nighter to finish an important project for a client, only to find herself working on this same project again and again. Akemi soon understands she’s stuck in a time loop, and the only way out is to convince all her co-workers and boss (played by the prolific Makita Sports) of the time-bending situation they’re in. A zany, fast-faced comedy filled with twists, turns and PowerPoints.

The Three Sisters of Tenmasou Inn – 2:30 p.m.
Dir. Ryuhei Kitamura | 2022 | 150 min. Japanese with English subtitles | With Non, Mugi Kadowaki, Riku Hagiwara
U.S. Premiere. In this supernatural tearjerker adapted from the manga by Tsutomu Takahashi, the waystation between life and rebirth is a traditional Japanese ryokan by the sea called Tenmasou Inn. When Tamae (Non) arrives there after a car accident leaves her body in a coma, she is greeted by Nozomi (Yuko Oshima), the inn’s polite proprietress, and laid-back Kanae (Mugi Kadowaki)—half-sisters that Tamae never knew she had. Despite protestations from the irascible matriarch Kyoko (Shinobu Terajima), the effervescent Tamae starts working at Tenmasou, taking time to process her liminal state while discovering the history she shares with her sisters, including their absent father.

Melissa Avalon 11/14/22 Melissa Avalon 11/14/22

The Japanese-Themed Short Films of New York Japan CineFest

The New York Japan CineFest, a film festival that introduces Japanese-themed short films, is celebrating its eleventh year. The in-person screening tonight (November 14) at Scandinavia House features nine of the festival’s 21 films. Some guest directors are scheduled to appear on stage. To purchase tickets to the in-person screening, please visit NYJCF’s Eventbrite page.

The 11th New York Japan CineFest

In-person Screening on Monday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m.
Scandinavia House – 58 Park Avenue at 38th Street
In-person Tickets: $15 in advance; $18 at the door | Students: $12 in advance; $15 at the door

Online Screening from Tuesday, November 15 through Sunday, November 20
Online Screenings: $15 + suggested donation

New York Japan CineFest, a film festival that introduces Japanese-themed short films, is celebrating its eleventh year. The in-person screening tonight (November 14) at Scandinavia House features nine of the festival’s 21 films. Some guest directors are scheduled to appear on stage. To purchase tickets to the in-person screening, please visit NYJCF’s Eventbrite page.

Online screening will be available from Tuesday, November 15 through November 20 at New York Japan CineFest’s website. With the purchase of a Festival Pass, viewers in the US can watch all 21 short films in seven days. To register for the online screenings, please visit NYJCF’s website.

Mar Creation hosts the festival with partners CYBER New York, Japan Information and Culture Center (Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.), Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Sapporo International Short Film Festival, and Aichi International Women’s Film Festival.

Films

Veils
Dir. Erika Nakayama | 2021 | 17:57 | Drama | Japan
Ayumi Tani, an owner of a small bookstore, and Sayaka Murakami, a call center worker, are a lesbian couple living together. While They feel somewhat stifled by the fact that they are part of LGBTQ community, They are looking forward to having a wedding-style photoshoot to celebrate their anniversary.

Lost in Eden
Dir. Hakim Hayashi | 2021 | 14:31 | Drama | Japan
Rika, a young Japanese girl, lives with her new French husband, Isaac, in Paris. She finally manages to renew her residence permit after a long struggle with the chaotic French administration. Then a man from the Japanese Embassy brings a cruel reality to her: We have to deal with your parents’ situation. She faces a Cornelian dilemma.

Kurosawa’s Grave
Dir. Ben Lopez | 2021 | 13:47 | Documentary | United States
Viewed through the eyes of an expert cinephile, this pilgrimage to Japan and love letter to Akira Kurosawa will transport the audience to a moment where modernity meets nostalgia.

Bigger Is Better
Dir. Larry Tung | 2021 | 24:57 | Documentary | Taiwan
Bigger Is Better is a documentary about the identity culture and body politics of the bear subculture within a larger gay male community in Asia. It takes the audience to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China to meet with stakeholders and examines the development of this unique subculture and its meaning and impact.

I Love Today’s Sky
Dir. Kazuma Yano | 2022 | 6:26 | Drama | Japan
Do you remember yesterday’s sky? The sky always extends beyond your upward gaze. I love today’s sky where clouds scatter leisurely. This film is based on “I Love Today’s Sky,” Shuntaro Tanikawa’s new poem that describes a bright future.

MaTcH
Dir. Masaki Katsuyama | 2022 | 20:00 | Drama | Japan
Haruko, an old Japanese mother, goes to Tokyo from Osaka to see her 30-year-old son, Shuji. The purpose of her visit is to set up matchmaking for him because he is still a single man. However, Shuji already uses a matching app to find his partner.

The Voice Actress

Dir. Anna J. Takayama | 2022 | 15:06 | Drama | Japan
Kingyo, a veteran voice actress working in Tokyo, possesses a unique ability to see the soul in all things, living and inanimate. The voice acting world is changing, and Kingyo must find a way to reconcile her way of living with the modern industry.

CASSETTE TAPE
Dir. Yurugu Matsumoto | 2020 | 23:25 | Drama | Japan
Young office worker Saki is looking forward to a birthday date with her boyfriend, whom she has been dating for three years. He surprises her the next day when he suddenly proposes marriage. However, Saki’s father is anything but enthusiastic and responsive to their wedding plans.

Submittan
Dir. Susumu Kimura | 2021 | 18:14 | Drama, Sci-Fi, Dystopian | United States
In the future city of Submittan, people over 80 years old are forced into “retirement” to a remote mountain area as the city deals with increased population. The burden falls on the shoulders of an immigrant artist, who is tasked with designing a propaganda poster to convince citizens of this new registration.

KAGEBOSHI

Dir. Ken Ochiai | 2020 | 5:02 | Drama, Horror | United States
In the 1930s, a Japanese American father and daughter must play a deadly game of shadow tag to escape from a demon child, Kageboshi.

Never Give Up: Akinori in Mooresville
Dir. Royce Akifumi Wilmot | 2022 | 13:12 | Documentary | United States
Twenty-four years after attending his first NASCAR race, Akinori Ogata chases his dream of one day racing in the Daytona 500. Moving his family halfway across the world in the process, he races locally in the lower series of NASCAR, working for his big break.

Above Water
Dir. Ken Honjo, Kentaro Yoshimura | 2022 | 26:00 | Documentary, Environmental | United States
On the remote island of Sarichef off the Northwest coast of Alaska, 20 miles below the Arctic Circle, there’s a small village called Shishmaref. Every year, it continues to get smaller as rising water levels erode its shores. In the summer of 2021, two artists were invited to the island to paint a mural, and they learned more about the culture and the impact of the melting permafrost.

Final Deathtination (In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia)
Dir. Marika Tamura | 2021 | 2:05 | Animation | United States
A suicidal man encounters “Death,” who is a “travel agent,” to find the best place to die.

Living While Black in Japan (In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia)
Dir. Shiho Fukada & Keith Bedford | 2021 | 15:13 | Documentary | Japan
African Americans in Japan discuss how racial issues in the U.S. affected their decision to live abroad.

MARE (In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia)
Dir. Tamaki Ishida & Akito Kawabe | 2022 | 7:46 | Animation, Sci-Fi | Japan
In a world that became a wasteland of toxic gas, there’s a painter who lives in an isolated shelter. He draws paintings of oceans. Why does he make these paintings? What happened to the world? This is a story about our near future, with environmental pollution and sheltered lives.

Summer Ends (In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia)
Dir. Yuka Doi | 2021 | 23:53 | Drama | Japan
Botan’s father is a sparkler maker. One day, she is frustrated because she is not allowed to make sparklers, and her father, Yanagi, has a falling out with her. Several years later, Botan, now an AD at a video production company, has no choice but to return to her estranged parents’ home for an interview.

just another summer day (In association with Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia)
Dir. Yoshika Matsuoka | 2021 | 25:00 | Drama | Japan
It was “just” a summer day spent with someone she didn’t know. Hizuki was drunk and lost her memory.

Pain of the Anonymous (In association with Sapporo International Short Film Festival)
Dir. Daichi Amano | 2021 | 27:00 | Drama | Japan
Struggling to find work and entrenched in a personal health crisis, a former middle school teacher accepts a position as an online content moderator. She is faced daily with death, violence, and abuse—and reminders of unspeakable past traumas.

Siblings (In association with Aichi International Women’s Film Festival)
Dir. Yoko Sato | 2021 | 39:55 | Drama | Japan
Nozomi has a younger sister, Kie, with mental disability but has yet to tell her boyfriend, Takashi, about her. One day, Nozomi finally informed him about Kie upon their engagement, causing confusion. From there, Nozomi faces a series of problems peculiar to a family with disabilities, and she starts to reconsider her life.

Mi
Dir. Masayoshi Nakamura & Zak Engel | 2022 | 4:23 | Animation | United States
This film is the journey of a father and son. The young son enters into this crazy and unknown world, and the father tries to guide him though as best as a father could. There are some things the father himself doesn’t fully understand, and he lets the son know that’s ok.

Ukujima
Dir. Tekko Nogami | 2021 | 4:02 | Drama, History | Japan
Today’s travelers follow the path of Iemori Taira, which has been passed down to Ukujima, an island in the Goto archipelago off the coast of Kyushu. Their path will eventually synchronize as they come into contact with the life and culture of the people on the island from the past, present, and future. It is a journey story that encounters a miracle that “people return to themselves.”

About New York Japan CineFest

NYJCF was founded by three Japanese producers based in New York in 2012: Yasu Suzuki (actor, dancer and filmmaker), Kosuke Furukawa (film director), and Hiroshi Kono (CEO of Mar Creation, Inc.) Since 2015, the film festival has screened its programs and films in multiple cities including Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in the U.S. NYCF has also participated in film festivals in Japan such as the Aichi International Film Festival Sapporo International Short Film Festival and Market, Kadoma International Film Festival, and New Director Film Festival.

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