After taking a year off, Japan Cuts returns to cinema screens in New York from July 26th –August 06th for its 2023 edition.
The selection is good as it covers indie and studio features, shorts, both live-action and animated, and a grip of modern classics. I’ve seen a grip as part of Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022 and Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023 but there are a lot that are recent releases – this year’s festival features five International Premieres and ten North American Premieres.
In terms of guests, we have:
Yuya Yagira and KENTARO – lead actor and director on Under the Turquoise Sky, respectively,
Keishi Otomi – The Legend and the Butterfly,
Yuho Ishibashi – When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty,
Akiko Yano and Elizabeth Lennard – Tokyo Melody: A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto.
FEATURES
Release Date: December 03rd, 2022
Duration: 124 mins
Director: Takehiko Inoue
Writer: Takehiko Inoue (Screenplay/Original Creator)
Starring: Jun Kasama (Hisashi Mitsui), Kenta Miyake (Takenori Akagi), Shinichiro Kamio (Kaede Rukawa), Shugo Nakamura (Ryota Miyagi), Subaru Kimura (Hanamichi Sakuragi),
Animation Production: Dandelion Animation Studio, Toei Animation
This is a new animated film based on the same-named classic basketball manga which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1990 to 1996. It has been directed and written by the original author, Takehiko Inoue, and it has become a smash-hit in Japan and Asia.
Synopsis: We follow a new played on Shohoku High School’s basketball team, Sakuragi, a delinquent with a long history of getting dumped by girls. He joins because a hot girl named Haruko loves basketball.
そばかす 「Sobakasu」
Release Date: December 16th, 2022
Duration: 104 mins.
Director: Shinya Tamada
Writer: Atsushi Asada (Script/Original Story),
Starring: Toko Miura, Atsuko Maeda, Marika Ito, Kou Maehara, Takumi Kitamura, Ku Iijima, Hiroki Miyake, Chizuru Asano,
Toko Miura (Drive My Car) and Atsuko Maeda (To the Ends of the Earth, Tamako in Moratorium, Seventh Code) head an impressive cast in this family drama of sisters looking at love.
Synopsis: Thirty-year-old Kasumi has been unsure of love ever since she can remember and is insecure about her lack of romantic feelings. She tried to be a high achiever by studying music at university but she had to return home to her hometown and now works in a call centre. At home she feels pressured by her mother because her younger sister is married and pregnant and everyone expects Kasumi to be next. The road to romance isn’t easy.
Father of the Milky Way Road Ginga Tetsudo no Chichi 
銀河鉄道の父 「Ginga Tetsudo no Chichi」
Release Date: May 05th, 2023
Duration: 128 mins.
Director: Izuru Narushima
Writer: Riko Sakaguchi (Screenplay), Yoshinobu Kadoi (Original Novel)
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Masaki Suda, Nana Mori, Min Tanaka, Maki Sakai, Yudai Toyoda,
Izuru Narushima, director of the powerful drama Rebirth, is working with best-actor-currently-working-in-Japan Koji Yakusho (Cure, Under the Open Sky) and Masaki Suda (The Light Shines Only There) and Min Tanaka (Haruneko, Twilight Samurai) in adapting an award-winning novel that draws upon famed writer Kenji Miyazawa’s life.
Synopsis: Masajiro Miyazawa (Koji Yakusho) would like to pass on the family-run pawnshop to his son is Kenji (Masaki Suda) but the boy has aspirations beyond their lives in Iwate and would like to attend university, or maybe learn about jewellery-making, or religion. He has options but his father isn’t convinced. When Kenji’s sister Toshi falls ill, Kenji takes up writing. And the rest is history.
手 「Te 」
Release Date: September 16th, 2022
Duration: 99 mins.
Director: Daigo Matsui
Writer: Sorami Date (Script), Nao-cola Yamazaki (Original Novel),
Starring: Akari Fukunaga, Daichi Kaneko, Kanji Tsuda, Akio Kaneda,
Akari Fukunaga, who appeared in The Real Thing, is the leading lady in this latest chapter of the Roman Porno franchise. Called “ROMAN PORNO NOW,” the project has three directors each working on a film to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Nikkatsu Roman Porno. It’s directed by Daigo Matsui (How Selfish I Am!, Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops, Japanese Girls Never Die).
You’ll have to watch the trailer on YouTube.
Synopsis: Sawako is an office worker with a difficult relationship with her father. For some reason, her hobby is to take pictures of middle-aged men. Her feelings on these issues become clearer as she grows closer to Mori, a co-worker of the same age.
Release Date: March 18th, 2023
Duration: 113 mins.
Director: Kazuya Konaka
Writer: Yoshiya Nagasawa (Screenplay),
Starring: Yu Uemura, Akari Takaishi, Noa Fukuzawa, Ryuuta Kuwayama, Takuji Kawakubo,
Synopsis: It is the summer of 1978 and a group of high school students led by Hiroshi decide to make their own film version of Star Wars. They build a spaceship and film it with an 8mm camera. It soon becomes part of the school festival and it also becomes a way for him to get closer to a girl he has a crush on named Natsumi. To make everything work, he calls upon a film buff named Yoshio to help him.
レジェンド＆バタフライ 「Rejendo & Batafurai」
Release Date: January 27th, 2023
Duration: 168 mins.
Direction: Keishi Ohtomo
Writer: Ryota Kosawa (Screenplay),
Starring: Takuya Kimura, Haruka Ayase, Hideaki Ito, Miki Nakatani, Hio Miyazawa, Takumi Saito,
Keishi Ohtomo, director of Rurouni Kenshin (2012) and Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto Inferno (2014), turns in another historical epic and it stars Takuya Kimura (Blade of the Immortal, Love and Honor) and Haruka Ayase (Our Little Sister, Ichi, Seirei no Moribtio). It was made to commemorate Toei’s 70th anniversary.
Synopsis: As a young man, Nobunaga Oda (Takuya Kimura) picked up the nickname of “The Fool of Owari” due to extravagant apperaance. When he is married to Princess Nohime (Haruka Ayase) of the neighbouring province of Mino, it is a relationship of politics and not choice. The two clash because she is not one to bow down to his arrogant attitude. However, love blossoms when a large army from Yoshimoto Imagawa invades Owari and Nobunaga has to rely on Nohime’s counsel and encourage
流浪の月 「Rurou no Tsuki」
Release Date: May 13th, 2022
Duration: 150 mins.
Director: Sang-il Lee
Writer: Sang-il Lee (Script), Yuu Nagira (Original Novel),
Starring: Suzu Hirose, Tori Matsuzaka, Ryusei Yokohama, Mikako Tabe, Akira Emoto,
Sang-il Lee of Villain and Rage fame returns with this weighty and long drama. It features Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister) and Tori Matsuzaka (Call Boy).
Synopsis: When Fumi Saeki finds a 10-year-old girl named Sarasa Kanai alone in a park in the rain, he gives her shelter after she says she is separated from her parents and living with an aunt but doesn’t want to go back. After two month’s together (and not calling the police!), Fumi is arrested for kidnapping and Sarasa is returned to her family. 15 years later, Sarasa Kanai (Suzu Hirose) and Fumi Saeki (Tori Matsuzaka) happen to meet each other again…
Release Date: March 10th, 2023
Duration: 127 mins.
Director: Yusaku Matsumoto
Writer: Yusaku Matsumoto, Kentaro Kishi (Screenplay), Junki Watanabe (Original Novel),
Starring: Masahiro Higashide, Takahiro Miura, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Mai Kiryu, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Yo Yoshida,
Masahiro Higashide has had a career resurgence thanks to the indie scene as can be seen from his performance in The Sound of Grass (2021). He’s working with Yusaku Matsumoto (Noise, Bagmati River) in this film based on a real person. He’s supported by a great cast like Mitsuru Fukikoshi (Cold Fish), Takahiro Miura and Kiyohiko Shibukawa. The DoP and co-scriptwriter is Kentaro Kishi (The Sower) who is secretly one of the best people making serious dramas in the Japanese film industry.
Synopsis: In 2002, software developed Isamu Kaneko created a file-sharing application called Winny. This programme became the software of choice for online piracy in Japan. Pirates were arrested but prosecutors decided to make an example of Kaneko and scooped him up for copyright infringement, too. A trial took place and it is dramatised here!
コンビニエンス・ストーリー 「Konbiniensu Suto-ri- 」
Release Date: August 05th, 2022
Duration: 97 mins.
Director: Satoshi Miki
Writer: Satoshi Miki (Script), Mark Schilling (Original Story),
Starring: Ryo Narita, Atsuko Maeda, Seiji Rokkaku, Eri Fuse, Yuki Katayama, Ryo Iwamatsu, Kiyohiko Shibukawa,
Synopsis: Kato is a struggling screenwriter who is trying to write a movie. A trip to a convenience store to buy food to feed his girlfriend’s dog sees him dump the beast in the mountains and get stranded when the car breaks down. He is rescued by Keiko, a bewitching married woman who works at a convenience store he stumbles into in the wilderness. It is from there that he enters other worlds…
ターコイズの空の下で 「Ta-koizu no sora no shita de」
Release Date: February 26th, 2021
Duration: 95 mins.
Director: KENTARO
Writer: KENTARO, Amra Baljinnyam (Script),
Starring: Yuya Yagira, Amra Baljinnyam, Tsetsgee Byambaa, Sarantuya Sambuu, Akaji Maro,
Info from JFDB – This road movie is a French/Mongol co-production shot on location in outer Mongolia, and is the feature-length directorial debut of Kentaro.
Synopsis: Takeshi (Yagira Yuya) grew up spoiled in an affluent family. One day, a Mongolian man named Amra (Amra Baljinnyam) is arrested for stealing a race horse that belongs to Takeshi’s businessman grandfather Saburo (Maro Akaji). This prompts the old man to send his grandson to the grasslands of Mongolia where he is to search for a daughter born out of Saburo’s relationship with a local woman after the Second World War. Amra will be his guide and interpreter. And so begins a road trip between two very different men.
さかなのこ 「Sakana no Ko」
Release Date: September 01st, 2022
Duration: 139 mins.
Director: Shuichi Okita
Writer: Shuichi Okita, Shiro Maeda (Script), Sakana-kun (Original Autobiography),
Starring: Non, Yuya Yagira, Kaho, Hayato Isomura, Amane Okayama, Hiroki Miyake, Haruka Igawa,
Shuichi Okita of The Woodsman and the Rain (2012) has adapted the autobiography of Sakana-kun, a fish expert who regularly shows up on those fish documentaries that get screened in cinemas.
It was co-adapted by Shiro Maeda who is worked with on A Story of Yonosuke (2013). Maeda also wrote and directed Kako: My Sullen Past (2016), and wrote Isn’t Anyone Alive? (2012).
It looks like it has the potential to be funny, not least since it has the stunt casting of Non in the lead role after she has put in stellar work in Hold Me Back (2020) and Ribbon (2022).
Other cast members include Kaho (Red), Yuya Yagira (Pink and Gray, Destruction Babies, Nobody Knows), and Amane Okayama (Poetry Angel).
Synopsis: Ever since elementary school, Mibou’s life is all about fish. He loves looking at them, drawing them, eating, them, and thinking about them. His father worries that he is different from other kids, but his mother watches over him warmly and gives her support. Even in high school, Mibou is all about fish and somehow, he gets on well with the delinquents around him. This ability to connect with others continues as he begins to live on his own and meets a myriad of people, all while being obsessed with fish.
世界の終わりから 「Sekai no Owarikara」
Release Date: April 07th, 2023
Duration: 135 mins.
Director: Kazuaki Kiriya
Writer: Kazuaki Kiriya (Screenplay),
Starring: Ai Ito, Katsuya Maiguma, Aya Asahina, Shunji Iwai, Ai Tominaga,
Synopsis: After losing her parents, high school girl Hana has struggled to find a place for herself in the world. The world needs her to save it and this all gets set in motion after a man claiming to be from a special government agency appears before her and requests that Hana tell him about a dream she had…
MONDAYS このタイムループ、上司に気づかせないと終わらない 「MONDAYS Kono Taimu Ru-pu, Joushi ni Kizuka Senai to Owaranai」
Release Date: October 14th, 2022
Duration: 82 mins.
Director: Ryo Takebayashi
Writer: Ryo Takebayashi, Saeri Natsuo (Script),
Starring: Wan Marui, Makita Sport, Koki Osamura, Yuugo Mikawa, Kotaro Yagi, Harumi Shuhama,
Following on from yesterday where we had a time-loop horror, we get a time-look comedy that stars Wan Marui (Kontora) and Makita Sports (All Esper Dayo!).
Synopsis: Yoshikawa is an ambitious young woman seeking to leave a small advertising agency to go to a major firm but, one Monday morning, she is informed by two junior staff members that they are repeating the same week over and over again. Soon the rest of the staff notice. Well, everyone except that manager and it seems like he holds the power to break the loop but first he has to notice what is going on!
天間荘の三姉妹 「Tenmasou no Sanshimai」
Release Date: October 28th, 2022
Duration: 150 mins.
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Writer: Ureha Shimada (Script), Tsutomu Takahashi (Original Story),
Starring: Non, Mugi Kadowaki, Yuko Oshima, Ko Shibasaki, Riku Hagiwara, Hiroyuki Hirayama, Yoshiko Mita, Kengo Kora, Shinobu Terajima, Masatoshi Nagase,
Ryuhei Kitamura, horror movie master, adapts a supernatural manga for the big screen and he has the impressive cast with Non (Ribbon), Yuko Oshima (All the Things We Never Said), Mugi Kadowaki (Double Life, Love’s Whirlpool), and many more.
Synopsis: Tenmasou is an inn located in Mitsuse, a town that exists between heaven and Earth. Souls travel to Tenmasou where they reside until they find out of they will return to Earth or move on to the afterlife. Tenmasou is managed by Nozomi (Yuko Oshima) and her younger sister Kanae (Mugi Kadowaki), a dolphin trainer, and their mother (Shinobu Terajima) who holds a grudge against their run-away father (Masatoshi Nagase). One day, their half-sister Tamae (Non) comes to stay at Tenmasou after a car accident…
みなに幸あれ 「Mina Ni Sachi Are」
Release Date: 2023
Duration: 84 mins.
Director: Yuta Shimotsu
Writer: Rumi Kakuta (Screenplay), Yuta Shimotsu (Original Story)
Starring: Kotone Furukawa,
Synopsis: A young woman visits her grandparents’ home and discovers what brought them happiness—a revelation that will lead her to question her choices, sanity and reality itself in a disturbing ending.
アイ アム ア コメディアン 「Ai Amu A Komedeian」
Release Date: 2022
Duration: 108 mins.
Director: Fumiari Hyuga
Writer: N/A
Starring: Daisuke Muramoto
Synopsis: After manzai comedian Daisuke Muramoto began talking about politically awkward social issues, he and his partner found their TV opportunities began to dry up. He had crossed a line about comedians not making political comments. As a solo stand-up, he tackles this silencing while also continuing his politically-charged comedy routines. This is a documentary, shot over three years by Fumiari Hyuga, that follows Muramoto and sees him through various challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Release Date: July 21st, 2023
Duration: 105 mins.
Director: Daisuke Miyazaki
Writer: Daisuke Miyazaki (Screenplay),
Starring: An Ogawa, Takuma Fujie, Kyoko Koizumi, Nana Nakahara, Hana Tsujino, Norihiko Tsukuda,
Daisuke Miyazaki, (Yamato (California), TOURISM, Norih Shunjuku 2055) is 0ne of the most interesting directors working in Japan and he is back with this coming-of-age film inspired by Exne Kedy’s 1974 album “Strolling Planet ’74”.
Synopsis: Jun and Ibuki love music and they love the ‘70s glam rock band Exne Kedy and the Poltergeists (a fictional project by artist Kensuke Ide and producer You Ishihara of Yura Yura Teikoku fame). This brings them together and they fall in love with each other but their relationship faces difficulties which the film charts from the very beginnings, through a break-up and into an Exne Kedy reunion…
Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto
Tokyo Melody: A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto 
Release Date: 1985
Duration: 62 mins.
Director: Elizabeth Lennard
Writer: N/A
Starring: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Akiko Yano, Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, David Bowie, Takeshi Kitano, Tomi Conti,
Synopsis: A French/Japanese TV documentary co-production by French photographer Elizabeth Lennard, it features the recording of his 1984 album Ongaku Zukan. Studio sessions and performances, including a piano duet with then-wife Akiko Yano, as well as archival footage and talking head interviews feature to give an insight into an artist at the heights of his power.
Next Generation
Release Date: April 21st, 2023
Duration: 80 mins.
Director: Hiroki Kono
Writer: Hiroki Kono (Screenplay),
Starring: Kazuaki Nomura, Hiroki Kono,
This was the 2022 Pia Film Festival Grand-Prix winning film and was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The title J005311 comes from two stars that had died and started shining again in what could only be described as a miracle.
Synopsis: Kanzaki, an office worker who despairs of life, is wandering the streets when he witnesses a purse snatching. He chases the thief, Yamamoto, and ends up finding another person living a life of despair. Kanzaki requests that Yamamoto give him a ride to a certain location in exchange for one million yen and a road movie begins…
Sanka: Nomads of the Mountains 
山歌 「Sanka」
Release Date: April 22nd, 2022
Duration: 77 mins.
Director: Ryohei Sasatani
Writer: Ryohei Sasatani (Screenplay),
Starring: Rairu Sugita, Naru Komukai, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Kisuke Iida, Shungiku Uchida, Yoko Ran,
Films featuring the fading of tradition, the clash between economy and the natural world are plentiful in Japanese cinema. These themes and stories are most memorably used in the magical movies of Miyazaki and Takahata of Studio Ghibli fame with Princess Mononoke (1997) and Pom Poko (1994) coming to mind. Writer and director Ryohei Sasatani’s indie feature Sanka: Nomads of the Mountains is the latest work to channel these changes and conflicts onto the screen, albeit in a more realistic manner. I saw this one as part of the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022.
You can read my review of this film here.
You can read my interview with the director here.
Synopsis: It is 1965, a time of rapid economic growth for Japan and also a time when the people called Sanka, a nomadic band of outcasts, were fading away. Having arrived at his father’s countryside estate from Tokyo to focus on preparing for his high school entrance exam, a lonely 15-year-old named Norio (SUGITA Rairu) encounters three Sanka, first teenage Hana (KOMUKAI Naru), then her father Shozo (SHIBUKAWA Kiyohiko) and her grandmother. Taken under their wing and drawn to their simple and rugged lifestyle, Norio begins to spend his summer days fishing in the rivers and catching snakes in the bush for food. He also witnesses how they are discriminated against by people like his authoritarian father who rejects their illogical lifestyle. With bad blood already existing between Norio and his father, and a hopeless desire to become one with the Sanka, Norio is forced to confront the cruel reality of his age.
こちらあみ子 「Kochira Amiko」
Duration: 104 mins.
Director: Yusuke Morii
Writer: Yusuke Mori (Script), Natsuko Imamura (Original Manga),
Starring: Kana Osawa, Arata Iura, Machiko Ono, Yuji Ozeki, Eiko Kuroki,
Synopsis: This is the story of Amiko, a fifth grader living in Hiroshima, whose pure-hearted and high-spirited character offers her resilience in the face of tragedy and the ire and indifference of others. Her persona soon influences those around her even if they resist.
緑のざわめき -Saga Saga- 「Midori no Zawameki – Saga Saga –」
Release Date: 2023
Duration: 125 mins.
Director: Aimi Natsuto
Writer: Aimi Natsuto (Screenplay),
Starring: Rena Matsui, Sae Okazaki, Sara Kurashima, Naoya Kusakawa, Noa Kawazoe
Synopsis: In her sophomore feature film, Aimi Natsuto departs entirely from the dynamics of Rohmeresque anti-romance comedy of Jeux de Plage (OAFF2019) and creates a quiet, considered, and sensitive female relationship drama set in Kyushu. We watch 28-year-old Kyoko return to her hometown of Ureshino in Saga Prefecture from Tokyo after a stint as an actress. It is here that she “runs” into Nahoko, her half-sister. Nahoko is secretly stalking Kyoko. Things get a lot more complicated when another half-sister is revealed. Plot points and themes of women, family, nature, sex, and urban dislocation are broached but not in ways one might expect. An air of mystery hangs over everything as secrets are slowly revealed but there is no melodrama, just the gradual movement towards a family reconciliation.
When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty 
朝がくるとむなしくなる 「Asa ga Kuru to Munashiku naru」
Release Date: 2023
Duration: 125 mins.
Director: Yuho Ishibashi
Writer: Yuho Ishibashi (Screenplay),
Starring: Erika Karata, Haruka Imou, Kazuma Ishibashi, Oto Abe, Yuto Nakayama, Toshihiro Yashiba,
Synopsis: 24-year-old Nozomi quit her job at an ad agency and now works part-time at a convenience store. Her ordinary days are enlivened by funny and kind co-workers but her heart is troubled because she cannot tell her parents about her situation and she is haunted by her failure to meet the excessive demands at her previous workplace. One day, her former junior high school classmate Kanako appears and Nozomi begins to articulate how she feels.
The Great Resignation. Quiet Quitting. These buzzwords signal how it has become common for workers to seek more satisfying employment or lessen the negatives of their current workplaces. Following her debut feature Sayounara (2018), Yuho Ishibashi puts a face on this phenomenon through quiet observance and sensitivity for her characters while drawing on real-world exploitation.
People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind 
ぬいぐるみとしゃべる人はやさしい 「Nuigurumi to Shaberu Hito wa Yasashii」
Release Date: April 14th, 2023
Duration: 109 mins.
Director: Yurina Kaneko
Writer: Yurina Kaneko, Suzuyuki Kaneko (Screenplay), Ao Omae (Original Novel)
Starring: Itsuki Nagasawa, Airu Kubozuka, Mari Hayashida, Katsumi Hyodo, Atsuko Hirata, Keisuke Horibem Rena Tanaka,
Yurina Kaneko has been making a name for herself with MOOSIC Lab film Sleeping Insect and she makes a leap into a bigger feature with an adaptation of a novel.
Synopsis: Creating a portrait of sensitive teens and their concerns, Yurina Kaneko’s adaptation of Ao Omae’s novel takes us into the midst of the Plushy Club at a university. It is a place packed with furry and comforting friends whom the club members talk to in order to relay their anxieties and fears. Male student Nanamori and female students Shiraki, and Mugito are the latest club intake, each wrestling with issues such as love, masculinity and femininity, fear of others and sexism in society. Trusting her actors, Kaneko uses long takes and gentle pacing to allow her talented cast to unpack big themes in naturalistic ways while expressive lighting and animation relays what it is like to be in conversation with a plushy. The kindness of the club members desire and exhibit is most keenly felt by the end.
SHORTS
遠まわりする青 「Tou Mawari Suru Ao」
Release Date: 2023
Duration: 24 mins.
Director: Ryo Kimura
Writer: Ryo Kimura (Screenplay),
Starring: Saori Mori, Mai Hikagedate, Ami Kamimura, Koto Ishikawa, Yutaro Watanabe,
Synopsis: Under the neon light of Tokyo at night, callgirl Shiori is chauffeured from assignation to assignation. Mid-ride, a fellow sex worker prompts her to remember her high school days, her dreams of being a playwright, and a best friend who encouraged her. Can she grab any of that again?
Director Ryo Kimura skilfully takes us between the urban grind of the city to a coastal scene, present-day woes and past happiness, through gorgeous shot composition, evocative lighting, and sound design that help us get to understand the main character.
Flashback Before Death
寓 「Guu」
Release Date: 2022
Duration: 31 mins.
Director: Rii Ishihara, Hiroyuki Onogawa
Writer: Rii Ishihara, Hiroyuki Onogawa (Screenplay)
Starring: Rii Ishihara, Masatoshi Kihara, Hanae Seike.
This is the directorial debut of a composer named Hiroyuki Onogawa (Harmonium, Blame!, August in the Water) and his wife Rii Ishihara that is set in 1930s Japan and features animation. Ishihara takes on a role in front of the camera.
Synopsis: We are taken to Showa-era Japan and follow the return of Kikuo from France to his sister Tsuruha’s house. The thing is, she is meant to be dead but when he finds her living with a doll that looks exactly like her daughter Hinano…
サイレントムービー 「Sairento Mu-bi-」
Release Date: 2023
Duration: 56 mins.
Director: Hiroshi Gokan, Satoru Hirohara, Masamichi Kawata,
Writer: N/A (Screenplay),
Starring: N/A
Synopsis: A collection of 11 silent shorts produced by nine students and three alumni of the Tokyo University of the Arts’ Film Department, ranging from a period drama based on the screenplay for YAMANAKA Sadao’s first film, “Iso no Genta: Dakine no Nagawakizashi,” which became a legend in the history of silent film, to a comedy, thriller, and animation. KATAOKA Ichiro, a benshi (benshi is a Japanese wordplay narrator), provides the live narration for all the shorts. Here is a new silent movie for our time.
Setagaya Game
セタガヤゲーム 「Setagaya Ge-mu」
Release Date: 2022
Duration: 40 mins.
Director: Go Ohara, Ken Ohara
Writer: Go Ohara, Ken Ohara (Screenplay)
Starring: Reiji Takahashi, Akari Natsume, Sho Iizaka
Synopsis: Takeru is as an unlikely Uber Eats delivery man since his background is graduating from an excellent university. His career woes lead him to copious amounts of alcohol and conspiracy theories but then he has to stop his pity party as he gets thrown into a crisis…
Past Festival Coverage: