Heisei Project

A 100-year-old resident of a Lake Biwa nursing home dies mysteriously. Did a respirator keeping him alive suddenly malfunction, or was he murdered? A young detective on the case meets a female caregiver. The investigation runs into a dead end, but the two fall into a passionate but forbidden relationship. Terrifying memories emerge from the vast, deep lake to ensnare the detectives on the case, the caregivers, and a reporter trying to uncover a hidden past.

Forty years after leaving Japan for a boxing career in the U.S. that never panned out, Jin returns to restart his life with his old boxing buddies. When hotheaded young boxer Shogo asks for Jin’s help to get him back into the ring after an unfair loss, the two men decide to seize their final chance at glory. A boxing film so authentic that it inspired co-star Yokohama Ryusei to qualify as a pro boxer, Zeze Takahisa’s boxing drama is one of the veteran director’s most crowd-pleasing films thanks to the touching father-son bond at its core.

Keiko Tsuruoka’s film is at once traditional and contemporary: it gently mixes present-day gender and sexuality politics with the old-fashioned Japanese domestic drama. Traditional lacquerwork kitchenware is the Aoki family’s legacy, handed down to patriarch Seishiro (Kaoru Kobayashi) by his now-ailing father (Masayuki Suzuki). Seishiro expects to pass it in turn to his son Yu (Ryota Bando), but Yu has no interest in the craft—quite unlike daughter Miyako (Mayu Hotta), who loves it dearly. The stage is set for conflict, as established cultural traditions collide with modern mores…

With all the unrest and uncertainty in the world today, now feels as good a time as any for a movie portraying good will and love between people from opposing countries. The film is a love story set in the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture on the Japanese island of Shikoku against the historical backdrop of the Russo-Japanese War. The movie is centered around the romance between a Russian officer, a war prisoner in Matsuyama, and a Japanese nurse who find themselves on opposing sides of the war. It is a kind of "Romeo and Juliet story of the Russo-Japanese War".

Japan and Iran are not in close relationship. More than 4 centuries ago, however, Persian carpets were used in the festival of Takayama, a historic city in mountainous area of Honsyu. A man planned to resume the carpet in the festival, and asked Kinue, a Persian carpet designer, to design it. Kinue's husband, Makoto, is a carpet importer. They send the design to Iran to weave the carpet. But just before Makoto goes to Iran to receive the carpet, Kinue dies of a traffic accident. A month before the festival, Makoto went to Isphahan, Iran, to receive the carpet. He brings his daughter Sakura, who does not open her heart after she lost her mother. To surprise, the carpet production has not even started. It will take 3 months from the start. For Makoto it means he betrays not only the festival planners but also his late wife.

From a young age, Natsuki knew she was a girl despite her sex assigned at birth. Against the backdrop of conservative Japanese society, this poignant docudrama tells her remarkable story of gender transition. Reflecting on her high school years, Natsuki interviews the supportive friends and family who supported her choices – and also confronts the people those who oppressed her freedom. Tracing Natsumi’s story to the present, this compelling portrait of gender identity in contemporary Japan offers insights of a layered experience in a complex society.

Three men are possessed by the spirits of ancient samurai determined to build their master's castle, even if they must use cardboard.