Filmmaker Oudai Kojima turns a soldier’s trauma into a politically charged thriller in “Flames of a Flower.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/29/film/flames-of-a-flower/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #oudaikojima #sdf
Koto Nagata’s “Baka's Identity” dives into Japan’s fake ID trade, revealing a generation trapped between crime and survival. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/29/film/bakas-identity/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #kotonagata #yutahayashi #takumikitamura #goayano
The stars were out at Midtown Hibiya on Monday as the Tokyo International Film Festival opened its 38th edition. The event, which runs through Nov. 5, features 184 films — but tickets are moving fast. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/28/film/tokyo-film-festival-opening-ceremony/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #filmfestivals #japanesefilm #tiff #tokyo
Veteran actor Sayuri Yoshinaga headlines a biopic about the first woman to summit Mount Everest, but it ends up feeling more like a tribute to its star. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/23/film/climbing-for-life/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #sayuriyoshinaga #mounteverest
Between grilled meat and gay manga, Daigo Matsui’s "Meets the World" is a darkly funny tale of friendship, fantasy and female loneliness. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/23/film/meets-the-world/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #daigomatsui #hanasugisaki #kotonaminami #kabukicho #shinjuku
Toshiaki Toyoda’s mindbender “Transcending Dimensions” is a sensory journey to an alternate dimension. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/16/film/transcending-dimensions/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #ryuheimatsuda #yosukekubozuka #toshiakitoyoda
In “The Sickness Unto Love,” what begins as a shy boy’s crush unravels into a nightmare of bullying, lies and manipulation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/16/film/the-sickness-unto-love/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #ryuichihiroki #kentonagao #annayamada
The Tokyo International Film Festival is back — and The Japan Times’ film critics have handpicked the must-watch titles. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/16/film/tokyo-international-film-festival-recommendations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #filmfestivals #japanesefilm #tiff #tokyo
Masami Nagasawa is fierce and unforgettable as O-Ei, the woman behind ukiyo-e master Hokusai, in Tatsushi Omori’s gritty historical biopic. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/09/film/hokusais-daughter/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #hokusai #ukiyoe #masaminagasawa #tatsushiomori #masatoshinagase
A master of action comedy, Yugo Sakamoto trades gunfire for dropkicks in his latest assassin thriller, “Flame Union.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/09/film/flame-union/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yugosakamoto #takuyamatsumoto #masayukiino
Yakuza and flowers intertwine in "The Last Blossom," a story of second chances and quiet tenderness. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/02/film/the-last-blossom/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #anime #japanesefilm #bakukinoshita #kazuyakonomoto
In his debut feature “Brand New Landscape,” Yuiga Danzuka reimagines the Tokyo family drama in a modern metropolis. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/02/film/brand-new-landscape/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yuigadanzuka #kenichiendo
“Hero’s Island” director Keisuke Otomo recreates Okinawa’s postwar turmoil in rich detail, but some of the anger from the source novel gets lost on screen. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/09/25/film/heros-island/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #satoshitsumabuki #suzuhirose #masatakakubota #keisukeotomo #junjoshindo
Haruki Murakami’s world of quakes, cults and odd encounters resurfaces in Tsuyoshi Inoue’s feature “After the Quake.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/09/25/film/after-the-quake/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #harukimurakami #afterthequake #311 #earthquakes #greathanshinearthquake #nhk #japanesefilm #literature
Japan’s largest film festival kicks off Oct. 27 with stories of courage, resilience and love — from the Himalayas to Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/09/24/film/tokyo-international-film-festival-hamnet-climbing-for-life/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #filmfestivals #japanesefilm #tiff #tokyo #chloezhao #leesangil #kokuho
The government plans to expand support for the domestic content industry to boost exports of anime and films with the aim to triple overseas revenue from Japanese content to ¥20 trillion in 2033. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/18/japan/content-industry-support/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #anime #japanesefilm #film #meti
Yoshihiko Matsui’s first feature in nearly two decades seethes with fury over Fukushima’s forgotten victims. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/09/18/film/there-was-such-a-thing-before/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yoshihikomatsui #oshiromaeda #airukubozuka #fukushimano1 #311 #earthquakes #tsunami
Lee Sang-il's three-hour kabuki drama, once deemed a “high business risk,” overcame doubts over subject matter to find its audience. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/09/18/film/kokuho-box-office-expectations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #kabuki #kokuho #japanesefilm
Move over, “Spirited Away.” The new “Demon Slayer” film just cut its way into Japan’s all-time No. 2 box-office spot. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/09/17/entertainment-news/demon-slayer-opening-weekend/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #entertainmentnews #demonslayer #japanesefilm #anime
Sony Pictures’ "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle" has set an opening weekend record for the Japanese anime genre at U.S. and Canadian theaters, raking in $70 million. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/15/companies/sony-demon-slayer-anime-record/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #demonslayer #japanesefilm #anime #us #canada #sony