Japan Society Film

We’re thrilled to announce “So as to Dream: The Eternal Mysteries of Kaizo Hayashi”—a 5-film retrospective running Oct. 11-19, 2024. The world of Kaizo Hayashi is one of cinematic reverie and enchantment, whose reverence for film history—transposing genre and stylistic conventions from benshi and silent era serials to jidaigeki and hardboiled noir—results in one of the most imaginative and inspiring filmographies of the post-studio era.

Featuring Hayashi in attendance during its opening weekend, “So as to Dream” marks the first North American focus on the filmmaker and includes rare celluloid imports and new 4K restorations: japansoc.org/Hayashi

Photographer Noriaki Yokosuka’s 1964 “Portrait” series: Toshiro Mifune; Mariko Okada and Movie staff; Tatsuya Nakadai and Movie director; Michiyo Aratama and Yuzo Kayama. Influenced by American photographer Irving Penn, Yokosuka took frontispiece assignments from “Shukan Josei,” a woman’s weekly magazine. On Mifune, Yokosuka stated, “I was particularly impressed and overwhelmed by the sheer presence of Toshiro Mifune…. I arranged the lighting Irving Penn style, put my Hasselblad—one of the most select cameras at the time—on a tripod, stared intently at the powerful presence of my subject and pressed the shutter in a state verging on joy.”

R.I.P. Alain Delon (1935-2024), a legendary actor and icon of French cinema. A hearthrob and virtuosic emblem of 60s cinema, whose collaborations with Visconti, Melville, Antonioni and more launched him into international superstardom, Delon was beloved in Japan—pictured below in Tokyo over the years.

In partnership with Anime NYC, we're excited to announce an exclusive screening of MACROSS PLUS with Macross creator Shoji Kawamori on 8/24 and the North American premiere of CITY HUNTER: ANGEL DUST on 8/23!

Tickets on sale now: japansoc.org/film

"Last year, the Japan Society mounted a revelatory series of eight Sômai films (featuring two different versions of SAILOR SUIT AND MACHINE GUN), but was not able to include MOVING... It screened last month at the 17th annual JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film, where I sat down with Tabata to talk about her experience of acting in MOVING, Sômai’s influence on her life and work, and her resultant career."

Film Comment's insightful interview with actor Tomoko Tabata is now available online!

Interview: Tomoko Tabata on Shinji Sômai’s Moving Early start: the renowned Japanese actress discusses her 1993 debut in a landmark film by director Shinji Sômai

We’re deeply honored to bring the legendary Tatsuya Fuji to NYC for our JAPAN CUTS Lifetime Achievement Award! A pleasure to take him to Criterion during his visit!

"For anyone who wants to see a movie that has the power to change and sustain your life, I urge you to see Shinji Somai’s films."—Ryusuke Hamaguchi

On the eve of our 4K premiere of Shinji Somai's MOVING with lead actress Tomoko Tabata, we invite you to revisit Ryusuke Hamaguchi's comments on our Somai retrospective last year, "Rites of Passage: The Films of Shinji Somai."Ltd tickets available for tomorrow's screening: japansoc.org/Moving

Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi on Rites of Passage: The Films of Shinji Somai Director Ryusuke Hamaguch (Drive My Car) shares his thoughts on Rites of Passage and the role of Shinji Somai in Japanese cinema.

Official US one-sheet for the 4K restoration of Shinji Somai’s MOVING (1993).

We're thrilled to premiere the restoration this Friday 7/19 with a rare appearance by lead actress Tomoko Tabata. Ltd tickets available: japansoc.org/Moving

Thrilled to bring Gakuryu Ishii (ex-Sogo Ishii) to the Criterion Closet!

An evocative daydream infused with the enigma of existence, AUGUST IN THE WATER is a primordial rite of passage, awash in cloudburst and myth.

We've released a handful of tickets for today's sold-out screenings of AUGUST and SHIN GODZILLA ORTHO: https://boxoffice.japansociety.org/events?category=JAPAN%20CUTS

"A deeply humanistic tale, KYRIE makes an epic out of a young woman’s life, dwelling on themes of human connection, self-discovery and healing through the pursuit of creativity despite trauma and adversity."—Natalie Ng

On the occasion of our North American premiere of KYRIE, Filmed in Ether interviews director Shunji Iwai to discuss the new film and reflect on his three decades of filmmaking.

Catch the film's premiere this Thursday 7/11 at JAPAN CUTS: japansoc.org/Kyrie

Interview: Shunji Iwai reflects on 'Kyrie' and his career - Filmed in Ether We caught up with Shunji Iwai, one of the premier names in Japanese independent filmmaking, to discuss his new music drama, 'Kyrie'.

“I never would have expected to be praised for my tentative steps as an actor at JAPAN CUTS, a film festival in New York! The last time I visited New York was nearly half a century ago. Back then, Nagisa Oshima’s film, IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES, was invited to the New York Film Festival, but unfortunately, it couldn’t be screened due to censorship. And now, in 2024, the film I participated in, GREAT ABSENCE, is being screened in New York, and they’ve even given me an award! I am overwhelmed with emotion!”
— Tatsuya Fuji

The legendary actor whose prolific career include collaborations with Nagisa Oshima, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Shinji Somai will receive our JAPAN CUTS Lifetime Achievement Award for his remarkable contributions to Japanese cinema. Fuji will appear in-person for our premiere of GREAT ABSENCE on 7/18 as part of JAPAN CUTS: japansoc.org/GreatAbsence

Takeshi Kitano, 80s supermodel Sayoko Yamaguchi, influential fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto and Nagisa Oshima at Japan Society for MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE, 1983.

Kitano’s 30-years-in-the-making jidaigeki KUBI will have its New York premiere on 7/16 as part of JAPAN CUTS. Akira Kurosawa would declare, “When Kitano directs this film, it will surely rival my own SEVEN SAMURAI.” Only a handful of tickets remain: japansoc.org/KUBI

1979 Japan Society retrospective poster designed by influential graphic designer and artist Tadanori Yokoo, born on this day in 1936, for our Ken Takakura series.

Shinji Somai and Tomoko Tabata during the production of MOVING (1993).

A new 4K restoration of Somai's heartbreaking elegy to childhood premieres on 7/19 with a rare in-person appearance by Tabata: japansoc.org/Moving

77-year-old icon of Japanese film and television Takeshi Kitano (OUTRAGE CODA, JC 2018) returns to the big screen in epic fashion with his 19th feature as producer, director, screenwriter, editor and star. A long-gestating passion project that Kitano also published as a novel, KUBI (Japanese for “neck”) is a bloody and comically subversive retelling of the famous 1582 Honnoji Incident in which the samurai warlord Oda Nobunaga —vigorously portrayed by Ryo Kase (TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH) as an unhinged sadist—is betrayed through the covert machinations of his retainers Hideyoshi Toyotomi (Kitano) and Mitsuhide Akechi (Hidetoshi Nishijima, DRIVE MY CAR). Necks will be cut and heads will roll!

New York premiere on 7/16 as part of JAPAN CUTS: japansoc.org/KUBI

Based on Maiko Seo’s novel of the same name, ALL THE LONG NIGHTS stars Mone Kamishiraishi as meek working professional Misa who suffers from an acute case of PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) that leaves her mercurial—resulting in workplace incidents, inevitably contributing to her inability to hold onto jobs. After five years of unsteady employment, Misa finds a sense of belonging in the quiet offices of Kurita Science Corp. assembling parts for children’s science kits, but her peace is disrupted by the solitary and anti-social Takatoshi (Hokuto Matsumura, SUZUME), whose benign everyday rituals trigger her. Takatoshi, suffering from a severe panic disorder, shares a mutual difficulty in struggling to function in everyday life, and once the pair find the right footing, they compassionately push each other to live out “normal lives” despite their debilitating conditions. Shot on 16mm, director Sho Miyake’s (AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING, JC 2019) tender drama draws out a nuanced character study of the two, weaving together a deeply human story that shines through with the talents of its endearing leads.

U.S. Premiere at JAPAN CUTS on 7/16: japansoc.org/LongNites

Legendary anime director Rintaro’s (METROPOLIS, X/1999, GALAXY EXPRESS 999) first new work in over a decade depicts pioneering jidaigeki filmmaker Sadao Yamanaka (HUMANITY AND PAPER BALLOONS, TANGE SAZEN AND THE POT WORTH A MILLION RYO) and the production of his lost film NEZUMIKOZO JIROKICHI (1933). Based on a surviving script, NEZUMIKOZO JIROKICHI recreates the lost film—a tale of a famous, virtuous bandit Jirokichi the Rat in old Edo—as imagined by Rintaro, together with the aid of luminaries Katsuhiro Otomo (AKIRA, MEMORIES), Taro Maki (PLUTO, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS) and Masao Maruyama (NINJA SCROLL, PERFECT BLUE).

U.S. Premiere on 7/20 as part of JAPAN CUTS: japansoc.org/Shorts2

Original Japanese B2 poster for Shinji Somai's MOVING (1992).

Somai's undisputed masterpiece premieres on 7/19 in a new 4K restoration with lead actress Tomoko Tabata in-person: japansoc.org/Moving

Based on an award-winning manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, creator of the popular CHAINSAW MAN, LOOK BACK is the tale of two school children united by the power of comics. The film follows their friendships, rivalries, passions and regrets, all revolving around their desire to draw. Looking back, they ask if they would make the same decisions again—even if painful—to become who they are.

Tickets are NOW on-sale for the East Coast premiere on 7/14 as part of JAPAN CUTS:

We're thrilled to announce 2 more premieres for JAPAN CUTS: LOOK BACK—based on CHAINSAW MAN creator Tatsuki Fujimoto's acclaimed one-shot—and the live-action adaptation of BLUE PERIOD.

Members presale now live, general tix available this Thurs. 6/20: japansoc.org/JCUTS2024

Setsuko Hara, born on this day in 1920, with Kyoko Kagawa and Yasujiro Ozu on location in Onomichi for TOKYO STORY.

Takeshi Kitano, photographed by Kazumi Kurigami.

His latest directorial work, the long-gestating period epic KUBI, will have its New York premiere on July 16th as part of : japansoc.org/KUBI

The sickness of postwar Japan runs at a fever pitch in Shinya Tsukamoto’s (TETSUO THE IRON MAN) latest entry to his war trilogy, following his acclaimed wartime dramas FIRES ON THE PLAIN and KILLING (JC 2019). A chamber drama that evolves beyond its initial setup, SHADOW OF FIRE opens with the chance rendezvous of two survivors—an orphan child who steals food from the black market (Oga Tsukao) and a woman forced to sell her body (Shuri) in the ruins of a burnt-out tavern. The introduction of a young soldier still tormented by the war and a mysterious stranger (played by 2024 CUT ABOVE Award recipient Mirai Moriyama) bring new complications to the pair’s impermanent way of life. An unflinching examination of the immediate postwar chaos, Tsukamoto’s masterful direction once again offers a brutally searing critique of war as SHADOW OF FIRE portrays a populace fashioned into specters, unable to reckon with the trauma of the past.

Screening 7/17 as JAPAN CUTS' 2024 Centerpiece presentation with Shinya Tsukamoto and Mirai Moriyama in attendance: japansoc.org/Hokage

An appropriately frenetic production chiseled with the punk ethos of Ishii’s early work, THE BOX MAN arrives on the centennial of Kobo Abe’s birth. One of the most audacious of Abe’s novels, the unfilmable nouveau roman explored vagrancy and identity in a thoroughly experimental effort through the fragmented ramblings of a “box man”—a purposeful outcast who renounces everything (his identity, home, life) to live inside a cardboard box, peering out from within to observe the frightful state of society, invisible to those around him. Masatoshi Nagase stars as “Myself,” a photographer who becomes enraptured by the sight of a box man; however, he quickly falls into the self-fulfilled prophecy dictated by the doctrine of the box man: “Those who obsess over the box man become the box man.” Absurdist, self-aware and characteristically bizarre, Ishii’s voyeuristic rendition of Abe’s seminal novel brings to life all the novel’s formal attributes, now transposed in a similarly meta fashion for the silver screen.

Screening 7/13 with director Gakuryu Ishii in person as part of JAPAN CUTS: japansoc.org/HakoOtoko