In light of the current circumstances surrounding Covid-19, for the first time ever, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme goes online in this special edition, offering free screenings across the UK.
Everybody wants to be part of something, no matter what you do or who you are. The sense of acceptance and connection is a powerful emotion felt by humankind which can provide security as well as comfort, yet in the modern world where our way of living has become diverse and more complicated than ever, establishing a solid grounding and a sense of belonging can be difficult to attain. Every so often the world we thought we belonged collapses or reveals itself to be a mirage, to be replaced by an altogether different reality. Simply put, we can find ourselves in captivating yet uncertain environments. But what is it that people mean when they say ‘my place'; when they refer to their sense of existence and belonging?
With this question in mind, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021 has curated 18 Japanese titles (TBC) which attempt to tackle these topics in different landscapes. This is My Place: Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema includes comedies to crime themes, period dramas to films centring on LGBT issues. The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021 will explore the universal and perpetual issues existing in society, with an assortment of narratives shedding light on people from different walks of life. The programme showcases voices belonging to a diverse group of filmmakers, including internationally recognised directors as well as emerging talent, all representing different styles and forms.
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme will offer something for everyone, wherever you may be in the UK from 19 February to 10 March 2021.
All screenings as part of the 2021 edition will be available to watch for free, to all residents of the UK only, at the below website. There is a limited availability of tickets for all screenings which are reserved on a first come, first served basis.
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme is produced and organised by the Japan Foundation, London.Â
Official line-up
One Night (Hitoyo)
SHIRAISHI Kazuya, 2019, 123mins
Monday, 22 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Friday, 5 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Fifteen years after a battered wife (TANAKA Yuko) murders her abusive alcoholic husband, she returns home having served her time. But will the now-adult children she sought to protect with her crime welcome the reunion?
Our 30-Minute Sessions (Sayonara made no 30-pun)
HAGIWARA Kentaro, 2020, 114 min
Thursday, 25 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Wednesday, 3 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
The life of introverted college student Sota (KITAMURA Takumi) takes an unusual direction when he discovers a cassette tape of music made by Aki (ARATA Mackenyu), a musician who had tragically died the year before.
Shape of Red (Red)
MISHIMA Yukiko, 2020, 123 min
Friday, 19 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Saturday, 6 March from 10:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
At first glance, Toko (Kaho) leads an enviable life. But beneath the veneer of her picture-perfect life, Toko harbours a feeling of emptiness. Then, a chance encounter with a former lover, Kurata (TSUMABUKI Satoshi), awakens a deep longing in her.
Miyamoto (Miyamoto kara kimi e)
MARIKO Tetsuya, 2019, 129 min
Friday, 19 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Tuesday, 2 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
A quirky tale of high-octane love is told through the eyes of a hot-blooded stationary salesman, Miyamoto (IKEMATSU Sosuke), as he falls hard for Yasuko (AOI Yu) upon their introduction. Soon however, his devotion is put to the test.
Little Miss Period (Seiri Chan)
SHINADA Shunsuke, 2019, 75 min
Thursday, 4 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 72 hour rental window
The bemoaned struggle of periods is personified in an obnoxiously large and blissfully unaware heart shaped plush presence which pesters several women from different walks of life as they try to navigate their day-to-day trials in this light comedy.
Haruka's Pottery (Haruka no sue)
SUETSUGU Naruhito, 2019, 119 min
Saturday, 20 February from 10:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Monday, 8 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Stagnating in an unfulfilling office job and unsure of what direction to take in life, Haruka (Nao) stumbles across an exhibition of traditional Bizen pottery. Mesmerised by its beauty, she travels to Japan's Okayama Prefecture to become an apprentice at the kiln.
Not Quite Dead Yet (Ichido shindemita)
HAMAZAKI Shinji, 2020, 93 min
Friday, 26 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Sunday, 7 March from 10:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Nanase (HIROSE Suzu) has a tumultuous relationship with her father (TSUTSUMI Shinichi), the president of a major pharmaceutical company. One day, while testing a drug which causes temporary death, her father becomes a ghost. Nanase must race against time to save his life and his company.
Soiree (Soware)
SOTOYAMA Bunji, 2020, 111 min
Friday, 26 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Thursday, 4 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Brought together by an accidental crime they commit, an aspiring actor moonlighting as a con artist (MURAKAMI Nijiro) and an emotionally destitute woman (IMOU Haruko) mount an impromptu escape, running from their deed and their bleak lives. Will they find what they're looking for?
A Girl Missing (Yokogao)
FUKADA Koji, 2019, 111 min
Wednesday, 24 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Thursday, 4 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
The career and reputation Ichiko (TSUTSUI Mariko) has forged for herself while working long-term as a private nurse for the elderly matriarch of the Ohishi family hangs in the balance when one of the adolescent Ohishi daughters disappears and Ichiko is indirectly implicated…
Samurai Shifters (Hikkoshi daimyo!)
INUDO Isshin, 2019, 120 min
Tuesday, 23 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Saturday, 6 March from 10:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
When a fiefdom is ordered to relocate its entire population by the shogunate, the unenviable task of administrating the move falls with Katagiri Harunosuke (HOSHINO Gen). Together with some friends, he must undertake the impossible task with no experience, little manpower, and even less funding.
Me & My Brother's Mistress (Orokamono)
HAGA Takashi, SUZUKI Sho, 2019, 96 min
Friday, 19 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Monday, 1 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
After witnessing her brother (IWAGO Satoshi) having an affair, Yoko (KASAMATSU Nanami) tails and confronts the mistress, Misa (MURATA Yu). Paradoxically, she becomes convinced that Misa might be a better match for her brother. An unlikely alliance forms between the two women…
A Beloved Wife (Kigeki Aisaimonogatari)
ADACHI Shin, 2019, 115 min
Wednesday, 24 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Sunday, 7 March from 10:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Gota (HAMADA Gaku) is an unsuccessful screenwriter struggling to catch his big break. One day, despite strong resistance from his wife (MIZUKAWA Asami), Gota drags his family on an impromptu research trip in the hope that it will kick start his career and improve his ailing marriage.
Farewell: Comedy of Life Begins with A Lie (Guddobai Uso kara hajimaru jinsei kigeki) NARUSHIMA Izuru, 2019, 106 min
Tuesday, 23 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Friday, 5 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Against the background of postwar era Japan, Shuji (OIZUMI Yo) is an editor-in-chief of a magazine who is a raging womaniser, juggling several girlfriends at a time. Resolving to break things off with all of them but unable to do so himself, he hires a fake wife to scare off the gaggle of women.
his (his)
IMAIZUMI Rikiya, 2020, 127 min
Thursday, 25 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Monday, 8 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Shun (MIYAZAWA Hio) leads a solitary life in the Japanese countryside, living in fear of being outed and shunned for being gay. That is until a former boyfriend (FUJIWARA Kisetsu) shows up at his doorstep out of the blue with a 6-year-old daughter in tow.
Extro (Ekisutoro)
MURAHASHI Naoki, 2019, 89 min
Friday, 26 February from 18:00 (GMT) – 72 hour rental window
A mockumentary focusing on aged extra HAGINOYA Kozo (himself), as he reveals his aspirations to follow in the footsteps of his idol Steve McQueen and unintentionally causes mischief on set. An assortment of celebrity cameos includes the late OBAYASHI Nobuhiko.
Mrs Noisy (Misesu noizi)
AMANO Chihiro, 2019, 106 min
Saturday, 20 February from 10:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Monday, 8 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Novelist Maki (SHINOHARA Yukiko) moves into a new apartment hoping it's the change she needs to get herself out of her writing slump. However, her neighbour's incessant beating of the futons keeps breaking her focus. A confrontation ensues that snowballs into a fight which gets caught on camera.
Labyrinth of Cinema (Umibe no eigakan Cinema no tamatebako)
OBAYASHI Nobuhiko, 2019, 179 min
Saturday, 27 February from 10:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Friday, 5 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
A group of youngsters gathered at a cinema marathon find themselves transported into the worlds beyond the silver screen. As they tumble into the realms of film after film, they are forced into an oppressively colourful journey through Japan's social and cinematic history of war.
HELLO WORLD (HELLO WORLD)
ITO Tomohiko, 2019, 100 min
Saturday, 20 February from 10:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Monday, 1 March from 18:00 (GMT) – 48 hour rental window
Kyoto, 2027. Bookish high-schooler Naomi (voiced by KITAMURA Takumi) meets a mysterious man who claims to be his future self. The visitor also delivers a world-shattering revelation – young Naomi's reality is nothing more than a virtual simulation of the past and he has come to alter it.
