Japan Society Announces Full Lineup for Hybrid Presentation of the 15th Edition of JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film

Japan Society announces the full lineup for the 15th annual JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film, the largest festival of its kind in North America, set for August 20-September 2 as a hybrid online and in-person event. Continuing its annual mission of showcasing a diverse slate of the best and most exciting films coming out of Japan today, the summer festival will introduce a total of 27 features and 12 short films including 32 films available online throughout the U.S. and 14 screenings of 8 films on the big screen in Japan Society’s auditorium.

“It’s been a very difficult year for everyone, but we are so excited to finally open Japan Society’s auditorium doors and welcome back audiences to watch films together,” says K. F. Watanabe, Deputy Director of Film at Japan Society, who organized this year’s festival with Japan Society Film Associate Alexander Fee and JAPAN CUTS programmer Joel Neville Anderson. “In addition to the robust online festival lineup, our in-person selection overall emphasizes a love for cinema and the joy of filmgoing—including the return of last year’s standout title Labyrinth of Cinema, Nobuhiko Obayashi’s epic final film, which we just had to bring back to project on the big screen.”

Festivities kick off on August 20 with the U.S. Premiere of Soushi Matsumoto’s charming sci-fi and samurai-tinged celebration of filmmaking It’s a Summer Film!, one of two titles to be presented both online and in-person. The other film offered to both virtual and live audiences is the festival’s Centerpiece Presentation title, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Venice Film Festival Silver Bear-winning (Best Director) Wife of a Spy—a masterful thriller and a dizzying tale of suspicion, betrayal and love during WWII—which receives its New York Premiere. The film’s luminous star Yu Aoi is the recipient of this year’s CUT ABOVE Award, the festival’s annual accolade recognizing outstanding achievement in Japanese cinema. Barring an in-person appearance at the festival due to COVID-related travel restrictions, Aoi will accept her award via video greeting.

“Perhaps more than any other onscreen performer, Yu Aoi has been the face of Japanese cinema in the 21^st century since her memorable debut in Shunji Iwai’s All About Lily Chou-Chou in 2001,” says Watanabe. “It feels exceptionally appropriate to celebrate her superlative two-decade career this year with Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest film, in which Aoi is simply transcendent. Though we wish we could present this award in person, we look forward to finding a future opportunity to welcome Aoi to Japan Society.”

Returning for its second online iteration is the festival’s Next Generation competition, introduced last year, which offers a hand-picked selection of six independently produced narrative feature films by emerging directors. The festival’s only juried section, Next Generation awards the Obayashi Prize to the most accomplished title as determined by a jury of industry professionals. This year’s distinguished jurors are film scholar Kyoko Hirano; Brian Hu, Artistic Director of Pacific Arts Movement; and Japanese film subtitler and translator Don Brown. Last year’s winner Anshul Chauhan (Kontora) returns to the festival with the World Premiere of his COVID-19 themed short film Leo’s Return in the festival’s online Shorts Showcase section, a vibrant selection of short form works that also includes the International Premiere ofToshiaki Toyoda’s new samurai short Go Seppuku Yourselves, available worldwide except Japan.

Other festival highlights include the U.S. Premiere of The Great Yokai War: Guardians, a big budget fantasy/adventure spectacle by Takashi Miike that follows up on the cult director’s 2005 film; the International Premiere of Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction, a whip-smart, all-star comedy about the publishing industry directed by Daihachi Yoshida (The Kirishima Thing); and the U.S. Online Premiere of Ito, the latest by festival favorite Satoko Yokohama, which centers on ashamisen-loving high schooler in Aomori who attempts to overcome her shyness by working at a maid café. These films are presented as part the Feature Slate, the festival’s main section, comprised of popular studio favorites and international film festival gems encompassing a wide range of genres and styles.

Also making their online premieres are a selection of otherwise impossible-to-see works within the Classics, Documentary Focus and Experimental Spotlight sections. Highlights include a 35^th anniversary presentation of a 4K restoration of To Sleep So as to Dream, the debut film by Kaizo Hayashi (The Most Terrible Time in My Life) and a clever throwback to Japan’s silent cinema era; No Smoking, a nonfiction portrait of legendary musician and composer Haruomi Hosono, founding member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra; Rotterdam selection The Blue Danube, a wry and painfully funny depiction of the absurdity of war and bureaucracy by Akira Ikeda; and an eclectic collection of avant-garde works—including the latest by Cannes film festival participant Nao Yoshigai—offered within the Experimental Shorts Program.

TICKETING

In-person screenings: Tickets go on sale Monday, August 16 at 11:00 am ET; Japan Society members receive priority access starting Tuesday, August 10. Tickets are $15/$10 members. Additional discounts available. Online screenings:All-Access Passes ($69, limited availability) go on sale Tuesday, August 10 at 11:00 am ET. Individual film rentals go on sale August 20 at 11:00 am ET. Individual rentals range from $1–$10 with discounted bundle offers available. Members receive a 20% discount on all online rentals via promo code.

All online films available through film.japansociety.org, presented in Japanese with English subtitles within the U.S. from August 20-September 2 unless sold out or otherwise noted. Titles also available beyond the U.S. are noted below. Lineup and other details are subject to change. For complete information visit japansociety.org.

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