Kumi Takiuchi

Nagasaki, 1964: Following the death of his Yakuza father, 15-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wings of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, he decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theatre. For decades, the two young men grow and evolve together – and one will become the greatest Japanese master of the art of Kabuki.

When it rains it pours. Kenji divorced his wife, lost his job and his old squeeze Naoko is getting married back home in the north of Japan, specifically in Akita. He returns there in order to attend her wedding. Naoko surprises him by proposing that they have sex again. The one night stand is the new beginning.

Two people meet each other after missing the last train home, leading to a beautiful relationship over five years.

Nami is a young woman with numerous hangups sprouting from a dysfunctional childhood. She inherits a small fortune that allows her to pursue various interests, many of which are abnormal.

21st Century Girl is an omnibus feature that is of the girls, by the girls and for the girls. The work of 15 women directors under the age of 30, each of whom contributed an 8-minute film, the package highlights a range of genres, visions and thematic concerns.

Starting in 1970s Hokkaido, the film charts the moral descent of Detective Moroboshi over three decades, the young cop quickly gets a bit too cozy with the other side of the law when his senior colleague Murai teaches him the ropes and ruts of the police business. Soon, he swaggers and rants through the streets of Sapporo a lean, mean, sex‐crazy bully, indistinguishable from a yakuza.

The arrival of an intimate letter prompts a young woman to bring her mother on vacation to a small Japanese town, where someone special resides.

At the "Ijinzaka Clinic" day service, a revolutionary treatment devised by Director Urushihara is secretly spreading among the elderly. Aiming for the ultimate cost-effective care, the amputation of "Disusebody" (limbs with no hope of recovery) has reportedly led to unexpected positive side effects, such as patients feeling "lighter in body and mind" or "developing a gentler personality." Yagura, an editor who hears these rumors, senses a potential revolution in geriatric medicine and proposes a book deal to Urushihara. However, an internal whistleblower leak about the daycare center soon surfaces in a weekly magazine. Following a shocking incident at a patient's home, everything begins to spiral into darkness.

Based on the novel "Kanojo no Jinsei wa Machigai ja Nai" (literal translation: Her life is not at fault) by Director Hiroki, it is a powerful story of survivors, who are all trying to find their own silver linings in life.

Machiko can't shake the feeling of emptiness in her day-to-day life as a manager of a clothing store in Aoyama, Tokyo. One day, the casual words of Sayaka, a younger and charismatic store staff, stirs Machiko into creating a secret...

Tells the story of three bottom-dog boxers who gets used as punching bags. Pro boxer Suenaga Akira fell off the path to greatness but still tries to crawl his way to the top. Omura Ryuta is a youngster who grew up in foster care. Miyagi Shun, a TV celebrity with famous parents, takes a shot at boxing as part of a TV show. Three underdogs with very different back stories put their pride on the line as they exchange blows.

Based on the comic by Tsuchida Seiki, inspired by the artist's own life experience, this film portrays the loss and regeneration of the life of four men.

A woman walks menacingly through the crowds in a city. She eventually arrives at an old Western-style house, which she remembers is a psychiatric clinic she has been to in the past, and she lies on a recliner and begins to tell the story of her tragic life…

Retired university professor Gisuke Watanabe lives a comfortable but secluded life of affluence in the traditional Japanese house built by his grandfather. One day, an anonymous email threatens his peaceful lifestyle.

In the early 1920s, Yasuko, a budding actress, crosses paths with Chūya Nakahara, a young poet destined to be revered as a genius. Drawn to each other by their shared pretentiousness, they begin living together and quickly fall into a complex relationship. Their lives take a dramatic turn when they move to Tokyo and are visited by Hideo Kobayashi, a friend of Chūya’s who would later emerge as one of Japan's foremost literary critics. This seemingly chance encounter not only alters Yasuko's fate but also entwines the three of them in an intense and inescapable destiny.

Set in post-war Okinawa, Japan, Gusuku had 3 close childhood friends: On, Yamako and On's younger brother Rei. On was the oldest of the group and he was like a leader to everybody else. He was also a heroic figure to them. On led his friends into the U.S. military base and they stole supplies to give away to the local residents. Everybody in the neighborhood praised On. One night, they entered the U.S. military based to steal supplies. During their raid, On was chased by U.S. soldiers and went missing. Years later, Gusuku now works as a police officer. Yamako is an elementary school teacher. Rei is a member of the yakuza. These three people are still unable to get over the disappearance of On. They chase after the truth behind On's disappearance and uncover a shocking answer.

The first-person protagonist is a 27-year-old freelance writer who returns to her hometown from Tokyo, and she gets together with high school friend Satsuki and cameraman Suga to see Shiina, who they all admired in high school. Along the way, vivid memories from high school replay in the protagonist's mind.

Suenaga finds his life on the verge of collapsing as violence consumes those around him. However, he finds a worthy opponent in Omura, an up-and-coming wunderkind who is trying to escape his violent past. The men's fight for redemption culminates in a climatic match brimming with raw, testosterone-fueled emotions. Upholding the Rocky Balboa spirit of learning to get hit and keep moving forward, Underdog is a tough, uncompromising epic that deserves a spot in the pantheon of great boxing films.

Six directors picked a favorite song by Japanese punk rock band "The Blue Hearts" and made a short film inspired by the song.

While documenting a controversial tragedy that shook her community, a filmmaker must put her morals to the test when a perverse secret in her own life is revealed.

Japan Movie

Enigmatic, rejected, heartbroken. Masahisa Fukase must rebuild his life, overcome tradition, his inner demons and the pain of a broken marriage. The fascinating love story of the iconic Japanese photographer, his wife, his art and his family told for the very first time. A love consumed and destroyed by a life of photography.

Long ago, a fallen Makai Priestess named Higari became too powerful and after tampering with powers no one should wield, she had to be stopped and was eventually sealed away by another Makai Priest named Sougen. Using his body and his own life, he created the Tougen Flute and sealed Higari shortly after his death. However, through a special ritual, those who seek Higari's power can resurrect her by replaying eight notes on the Tougen Flute to undo Sougen's seal. In the present, while Kouga Saezima has travelled to the promised land (Garo: Soukoku no Maryu), two fallen priests,Jabi and Rekka, will attempt to return Higari.

Yuji Ueda, an ordinary fourth grader, is attracted to his classmate Kokoa Miyake. She is attracted to Hashimoto Haruto, a problem child. The three of them embark on somewhat radical environmental activities.

A four-part film done in the unique style of each director, Matusbayashi Urara gives a portrayal of a struggling actress named Machiko who lives in Kamata. Machiko is the central axis of the movie as the film comically depicts what it means to be a "woman" and an "actress" in society through showing the patterns of life as conducted by her and the people that surround her.

The wife of a wealthy man hires memory erasing agents to erase the memory of the young lover with whom he is having an affair, but soon realizes that the young lover will stop at nothing to keep the man's love for her alive.