Movies
277 Results
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Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions (2019)
- Director
- KOMORI Haruka, SEO Natsumi
- Cast
- KODA Haruka, YONEKAWA Ko Leon, SAKAI Haruka
Documentary that emerged from a project from the artist unit Komori Haruka + Seo Natsumi, whose collaboration began through volunteer activities after the Great East Japan Earthquake. In 2018, four travelers gathered for a workshop based in Rikuzent...
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La Vérité (The Truth) (2019)
- Director
- KORE-EDA Hirokazu
- Cast
- Catherine DENEUVE, Juliette BINOCHE, Ethan HAWKE
Kore-eda Hirokazu, winner of the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or for Shoplifters, directs his first international co-production film. Based on the autobiography by one of France's legendary actresses, the drama unfolds around a truth concealed betw...
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Battle of Okinawa: Unknown Sad Memories (2019)
- Director
- OTA Takafumi
- Cast
Documentary that delves into memories of the horrific combat in Okinawa, the site of Japan's only land warfare during World War II. Ota Takafumi helmed the feature film The House of Rising Suns about a tragic nuclear power plant accident. A third of...
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The Murders of Oiso (2019)
- Director
- MISAWA Takuya
- Cast
- MORIYA Koji, NAKAZAKI Haya, MORI Yusaku
Drama about uncertainty and loneliness as experienced by young people in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture. Director Misawa Takuya's debut feature film Chigasaki Story was a Japan-Thailand co-production screened at the 44th International Film Festival Rotter...
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Flying Rabbit in the Night Sky (2019)
- Director
- Andrew SHIN
- Cast
- KIKUCHI Atsuko, SUZUKI Mutsumi, ISHIYAMA Yuta
Fantasy best understood as a contemporary fairytale about the struggles of the pregnant heroine whose fetus is a rabbit. Feature directorial debut for Korean-American Andrew Shin, who has composed soundtracks for Manda Kunitoshi's films and also hand...
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BOLT (2019)
- Director
- HAYASHI Kaizo
- Cast
- NAGASE Masatoshi, SANO Shiro, KANAYAMA Kazuhiko
Hayashi Kaizo of the "Private Detective Mike Hama" series writes and directs this short film omnibus which took three years to complete. It consists of three episodes titled "Bolt", "Life", and "Goodyear" each starring Hayashi's close friend Nagase M...
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F is for Future (2019)
- Director
- ISOBE Teppei
- Cast
- SAKURAI Yasuyuki, SANO Hiroki, Karen
Coming-of-age film that uses humor and heart to portray a high school guy implementing a plan to protect his buddy's honor. Director Isobe Teppei won Best Picture in the Short Film category at the SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL 2018 for Wh...
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Indelible (2019)
- Director
- TSUNODA Ryuichi
- Cast
Documentary woven together as the universal story of father and son, focusing on the ethnic Chinese Koreans who live outside the Korean Peninsula. A boy who was born in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in China moves to Japan at age 10. Now ...
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The Investigator's Love Letter (2019)
- Director
- IMAI Iori
- Cast
- SATO Mao, SATO Nuiko
Sato Mao, known as "Investigator Mao", and his wife who is showing signs of dementia, are the subjects of this documentary which chronicles their daily life. In the director's chair is Imai Iori, an Osaka-based filmmaker who works both in television ...
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Tagore Songs (2019)
- Director
- SASAKI Mika
- Cast
Documentary exploring the appeal of "Tagore songs" about nature and devotion in Bengal from poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first non-Western Nobel laureate in literature. Debut film from 26-year-old Sasaki Mika, who learned about Bengali cultu...
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Leaving Home (2019)
- Director
- HAYAKAWA Daisuke
- Cast
- NAGAOKA Tasuku, KOZONO Yu, YANAGI Elisa
This drama about a family is set in a small community along the natural splendor of the Uwa Sea dotted by islands large and small. In the director's chair is Hayakawa Daisuke who is making his feature directing debut with this film. Ten years ago Ke...
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A Girl Under a Tree (2019)
- Director
- MORIYA Fumio
- Cast
- YANAGI Elisa
This uncommon film simply showing matter-of-factly a girl sleeping beneath the shade of a tree is directed by Moriya Fumio who made his directorial debut with Manga-jima: The Island of Cartoon. He is also an actor as well as a screenwriter who wrote ...
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Dancing in her Dreams (2019)
- Director
- TOKIGAWA Hideyuki
- Cast
- KATO Masaya, INUKAI Atsuhiro, OKAMURA Izumi
Drama about a real-life strip club in Hiroshima that has survived numerous threatened closures. Direction, script and editing by Tokigawa Hideyuki of Cinema Angel. Won the Jury Award at the 2020 Madrid International Film Festival. Hiroshima Theater ...
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AWAKE (2019)
- Director
- YAMADA Atsuhiro
- Cast
- YOSHIZAWA Ryo, WAKABA Ryuya, OCHIAI Motoki
Yamada Atsuhiro directs his own screenplay, Inspired by the 2015 Shogi (Japanese-style chess) Denou-sen competition, which won the first Kinoshita Group New Director Award Grand Prix with Kawase Naomi heading up the jury. Inspired by the 2015 Shogi D...
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I Never Shot Anyone (2019)
- Director
- SAKAMOTO Junji
- Cast
- ISHIBASHI Renji, OKUSU Michiyo, KISHIBE Ittoku
Quirky comedy helmed by Another World director Sakamoto Junji, with original script by Maruyama Shoichi of "Detective Story" fame. Rumor has it that Ichikawa Susumu (Ishibashi Renji) is a legendary hitman. However, in truth he's a struggling writer ...
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CENOTE (2019)
- Director
- ODA Kaori
- Cast
Documentary about "cenotes", cave water pits that are found throughout the northern part of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Cenotes were the sole water source during the Maya civilization period, and they were also sites of sacrificial ceremonies prayin...
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Dangerous Drugs of Sex (2019)
- Director
- JOJO Hideo
- Cast
- KITADAI Takashi, WATANABE Sho
The live-action adaptation of Mizuta Yuki's boy's love comic of the same name incorporates extreme sexual portrayals as it renders a story of rebirth though finding the meaning of "sex" and "life". In the director's chair is Jojo Hideo, who is known ...
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Reiko and the Dolphin (2019)
- Director
- IMAOKA Shinji
- Cast
- TAKEDA Aki, KAWAYA Hidetoshi
This drama portrays twenty-three years in the life of a husband and wife who lost their only daughter in the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Director Imaoka Shinji depicts, among the streets of Kobe, the restoration of the couple's relationship after the d...
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PARADISE LOST (2019)
- Director
- FUKUMA Kenji
- Cast
- WADA Misa, AZUMA Tengo, ETO Shuhei
Drama marking the sixth feature film from poet-cum-director Fukuma Kenji. The film uses both fantasy and realism in exploring how to live after your dreams have been lost, through the life of a woman who has been widowed. In a lonely spot in the Tok...
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ALL ABOUT "CHIAKI MAYUMURA" (PROVISIONAL) (2019)
- Director
- MATSUURA Hajime
- Cast
- MAYUMURA Chiaki, TOKUNAGA Eri, SHINADA Makoto
Documentary that uses a plethora of fictional elements to disentangle the life of "self-produced idol" Mayamura Chiaki, who plunges ahead on her unique path in life as head of the company Janaimon. Helmed by Matsuuura Hajime, who directs her music vi...
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The Modern Lovers (2019)
- Director
- SHIMOYASHIRO Atsuro
- Cast
- MORIOKA Ryu, KAWAKAMI Nanami
Romance that uses bold eroticism to portray a guy who meets his ex-girlfriend and makes a clean break with his youth. Won multiple awards at MOOSIC LAB 2019. Feature film directorial debut for Shimoyashiro Atsuro, who did the soundtrack for Imaoka Sh...
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TOBISHIMA (2019)
- Director
- OMIYA Koichi, TANAKA Kei
- Cast
Out in the Sea of Japan rises the populated island of Tobishima. This documentary chronicles the day-to-day life of the people living there. It is co-directed by Omiya Koichi of TAIDAMA–I'm home, a place for everyone and Tanaka Kei of Under the Cher...
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A Man in Love (2019)
- Director
- MURATA Nobuo
- Cast
- OGI Shigemitsu, SASAKI Kokone, DEGUCHI Arisa
Mature comedy about the love life of a middle-aged guy at the half-way point in life. Distribution company Mermaid Films' head Murata Nobuo makes his directorial debut at age 56. The Polish cinema maestro Jerzy Skolimowski serves as supervising edito...
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KONTORA (2019)
- Director
- Anshul CHAUHAN
- Cast
- MARUI Wan, MASE Hidemasa, YAMADA Taichi
The odd meeting between a young girl in search of a mysterious treasure and a homeless man unfolds in monochromatic imagery in this drama. At the helm is Anshul Chauhan, an Indian director presently residing in Japan who garnered attention at domesti...
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Mentai-piriri (2019)
- Director
- EGUCHI Kan
- Cast
- HAKATA Hanamaru, TOMITA Yasuko
The life of a businessman who broadened the popularity of mentaiko (spicy cod roe) in Japan serves is the basis for this biographical drama directed by Eguchi Kan who won the Best Action Film award at the 23rd Fantasia International Film Festival for...
