Japan Society NYC schedule: ‘The Female Gaze’ film festival

“The latest from Akiko Ohku (My Sweet Grappa Remedies, JC 2020; Tremble All You Want, JC 2018) steps away from the director’s singular heroines to offer a wildly entertaining ensemble piece.
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When Akihito and Haruka decide to tie the knot, little do they know of the impending chaos to follow when the wedding guests—each with their own set of motivations, passions and backstories—begin to use the occasion for their own means, threatening to derail a “perfect wedding.”

“A TV dramatization of Tadataka Ino, the first person to map Japan, runs into trouble when it’s discovered mid-production that Ino died three years prior to the completion of his map.
 
Adapted for the screen by Yoshiko Morishita from Shinosuke Tatekawa’s rakugo story, Dreaming of the Meridian Arc weaves between modern day and Edo-era Japan to offer an entertaining account of the exploits that led to the completion of Ino’s revolutionary map.”

“A socially-distanced college reunion, an unusual rapport struck between a food delivery man and a patron, a bus-stop encounter, and a blind woman scammed into thinking her brother is sick constitute the stories of Mayu Nakamura’s COVID-era quadriptych.
 
A work that delves into the lives of women in COVID-era Japan, finding profundity and human connection amid the unlikely encounters of strangers.”

“Lensed by cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa, longtime DP for Kiyoshi Kurosawa whose collaborations include Tokyo Sonata and To the Ends of the Earth, Shuichi Okita’s charming One Summer Story follows young Minami and her friend Shohei as she tries to investigate the whereabouts of her missing father.”

“An ode to romantic rediscovery and second chances, the second feature of director Yukiko Sode (Aristocrats, JC 2021) follows a couple on the verge of breaking up.
 
When a surprise pregnancy results in a shotgun wedding, the two decide to stick it out for the baby’s sake.”

“An adaptation of Naoki Prize-winning author Rio Shimamoto’s romantic novel, Yuka Yasukawa’s second feature follows the life of grad student Aiko whose facial birthmark has left her reluctant to pursue love.
 
Aiko finds herself in unknown territory when rising interest in her story catches interest for a film adaptation.”

“Based on the autobiographical novel by Aya Koda, Her Brother was adapted to the screen by Yoko Mizuki, renowned for her work on Kwaidan and Floating Clouds.
 
Her Brother is a restrained family melodrama told from the viewpoint of Gen, a lonely yet resilient young woman obligated to her distant writer father and invalid, Christian stepmother.
 
Gen is left to serve as a surrogate mother for her delinquent younger brother Hekiro, to whom she remains lovingly devoted.”

“Conflagration is the pinnacle of the many acclaimed literary adaptations Kon Ichikawa and his constant collaborator and wife Natto Wada worked on together.
 
Loosely based on true events that inspired Yukio Mishima’s novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, the story involves the spiritual and psychological breakdown of troubled youth named Goichi.
 
Whose desire for pure beauty leads him to Kyoto’s Shukaku temple, where he becomes an apprentice to the priest.”

“Yuko is in the midst of a successful career when she meets Naoki, a spontaneous and aloof actor, and the two hit it off over coffee–his love of it and her disinterest in it–and get married.
 
Shifting from sweet to bitter at a moment’s notice, Long-Term Coffee Break is a modern romance in brief, and a promising work from Naya Fujita.”

“Told in a fragmented, nonlinear style, Risa Negishi’s short provides snapshots of two women enduring emotional hardships while leaning on one another, and features dreamy, experimental photography and editing.”

“Small-town carpenter Tetsuro finds an unconscious young man on a riverbank who eventually says his name is Shinichi. The middle-aged widower sympathetically takes Shinichi in, offering a room in his home and apprenticeship in his woodshop.
 
Before long, the pair soon develop a father-son dynamic—forcing Tetsuro’s other carpenters and patient fiancée to adjust to the strange new situation—though long-held secrets threaten to undo everything.”

“Director Naoko Ogigami’s (Kamome Diner, JC 2007) newest feature, Riverside Mukolitta, focuses on ex-con Takeshi Yamada, who is eluding his past by relocating to a quaint rural village in the Hokuriku region.
 
There, he moves into a rural apartment complex, getting to know its community of earnest (if audacious) locals and adapting to a quieter, simpler pace of life.”

“Adapting the life of celebrated novelist Osamu Dazai (played by Shun Oguri), visionary director Mika Ninagawa’s (Sakuran, JC 2008; Helter Skelter, JC 2013) sumptuous period piece focuses on the troubled, womanizing author’s formative relationships with his wife and two mistresses during his late-career years.”

“Riho Kudo’s second feature (Orphan Blues, JC 2019) focuses on college dropout Naomi who encounters local pool staff Maki and his blind adoptive mother Midori.
 
To fulfill Midori’s wishes of seeing the world, Naomi and Maki began to record traveling tapes of a fictional world-trip.
 
As their “footprints” cover the Sahara Desert, Iguazu Falls and more, the hard-to-stop recording becomes the bond of a secretive and delicate romantic affair.”

“Produced by Kumi Kobata (One Million Yen Girl, JC 2010; Rent-a-Cat, JC 2012), Nagi’s Island follows young Nagi who lives a peaceful island life with her mother and grandmother.
 
Nagi begins a particularly eventful summer vacation on the island during which she learns to reconcile her own traumas and estrangements while growing and helping others.”

“Refashioning, hemming and threading, dressmaker Ichie utilizes the old-fashioned techniques passed down to her from her grandmother.
 
When department store employee Fujii approaches her clothing boutique to develop it into a brand with mass-produced garments, Ichie refuses.
 
Fujii gradually comes to appreciate the philosophies that motivate Ichie, as she finally dares to branch out and design her own work.”

“A survey of the growing prominence and visibility of women in film, the latest ACA Cinema Project series The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from JAPAN CUTS and Beyond focuses on the essential roles that female artists play from behind the camera in Japanese cinema—ranging from directing and screenwriting to production and cinematography.
 
Presenting an exciting array of screenings and premieres—that include new mainstream and independent works from JAPAN CUTS alumni and rising talents alongside a classics selection—The Female Gaze offers a much-needed deep dive into the remarkable and overlooked contributions of women in contemporary Japanese cinema.”