Japan is one of those societies where discussions about sexuality have traditionally remained private. However, the country has made visible progress in LGBTQ+ awareness in recent years; local partnership systems now exist in dozens of prefectures, Pride celebrations are held in cities across the country, and public discussion around marriage equality continues to grow. Yet…
Category: Japanese Cinema
40th BFI FLARE: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: “The Deepest Space in Us” Review
Grief can be especially difficult to process when it is complicated by discovery – when, after someone is gone, you begin to uncover things about their life you never knew existed. In The Deepest Space in Us, written and directed by Yasutomo Chikuma, this kind of loss is at the center of the story. The…
Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2025
Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF) 2025, the largest biennial festival focusing on documentary in Asia, gathers outstanding works from 2023 to 2025 to navigate the observance from intimate family matters to the turbulence of our living world. This year, the witness of diverse ‘home(land)’ in chaos enshrines the perseverance within people, from Palestine to…
Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2025: “SPI” Review
SPI (烤火房で見るいくつかの夢) directed by Sayun Simung, reveals a touching Tayal family story centring around ‘gaga’, certain routines and rituals that sustain solidarity and peace among Tayal people. After the death of Grandpa Wilang, Grandma Yabay can hardly break away from the sadness, followed by the pregnancy of the underage granddaughter, the camera unfolds how Sayun’s…
69th BFI London Film Festival: “Island of the Winds” Review
Hsu Ya-Ting’s Island of the Winds is a heart-rending documentary that immerses the viewer in the often-overlooked lives of the elderly residents of Lesheng Sanatorium, a former leper colony on the outskirts of Taipei. From the very first moments, the film builds an intimate closeness to its subjects, allowing their memories and struggles to surface…
69th BFI London Film Festival: “ChaO” Review
From the endlessly imaginative Japanese studio STUDIO 4°C comes ChaO, a stunning animated feature that marries slapstick comedy with sweet romance, all told through a burst of colour and hand-drawn beauty that feels almost radical in today’s digital-first era. Director Yasuhiro Aoki, making his feature debut, draws on decades of experience in character animation to…
Tetsuya Mariko on His Newest Project, “Dear Stranger” – Exclusive Interview
Born in Tokyo in 1981, filmmaker Tetsuya Mariko began his creative journey making short films while studying at Hosei University. Early works such as The Far East Apartment (2003) and Mariko’s 30 Pirates (2004) earned him early awards, with the latter winning the Grand Prix at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. His debut feature,…
30th Busan International Film Festival: “Dear Stranger” Review
Tetsuya Mariko’s Dear Stranger begins not with the disappearance of a child, but with the erosion of a marriage. Kenji (Hidetoshi Nishijima: Drive My Car, Serpent’s Path), a Japanese architecture professor in New York, and Jane (Gwei Lun-Mei: The Wild Goose Lake), a Taiwanese-American puppeteer who has put her art aside to raise their young…
Two Cities, One Heart: The Journey of “(LOVE SONG)”
In a rare and radiant cross-cultural collaboration, (LOVE SONG) brings together the creative forces of Japan and Thailand to tell a story of love. Directed by Champ Weerachit Thongjila, best known for the global BL romantic comedy series 2gether, the film is the acclaimed Thai filmmaker’s first project in Japanese feature cinema. At the centre…
78th Cannes Film Festival: “Dandelion’s Odyssey” Review
Dandelion’s Odyssey, directed by Momoko Seto, is an imaginative and visually striking film that goes beyond language and species to tell its story. Combining elements of nature documentary, animation, and abstract art, it remains grounded in emotion and wonder. The film follows four dandelion seeds as they travel through strange, hostile yet beautiful landscapes, reflecting…
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