Day One of New York Japan CineFest takes place on November 3, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. 

Join us to celebrate Japanese independent filmmaking at New York Japan CineFest 2023. Now in its twelfth year, this film festival is back in person for the first time since 2019 with a screening of eighteen provocative short films over two days. The films comprise a diverse and exciting array of genres and styles from around the world— including fiction, documentary, and anime—that portray historical and contemporary Japanese culture and society.

On Friday, November 3, at 6:30 p.m., the two-day festival opens with a ninety-minute screening of short films, followed by a reception.

On Saturday, November 4, more short films follow at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with a beautiful calligraphy performance by acclaimed artist Chifumi Niimi at 3 p.m. Asia Society is proud to co-host the world premiere of Chifumi’s first short documentary film, Shu Ha Ri on New York Japan CineFest Day Two.

Screenings | Day Two 

Session 1 - 1 p.m.

 A Selection of short films from a series of Japanese film festivals [Boston Japan Film Festival, ShortShorts Film Festival, Aichi International Women’s Film Festival, Tokyo International Movie Festival and New York Japan CineFest]

Tokyo Animals

Dir. Toshiki Yashiro | 2022 | 7:58 | drama | Japan

Tokyo Animals directed by Toshiki Yashiro is a collection of 5 scenarios, 5 vignettes about life in Tokyo. A life where things in the fore fall towards the back, till they circle back again into focus. A circular movement that is often palpable in our cramped little town. Whether it be the rigid rituals of a salaryman, empty gestures by empty people, or the sexualization of all things living or not. Bizarre little things populate the city.

In Association with Boston Japan Film Festival (BJFF)

Count 100 

Dir. Hiroshi Tamaki | 2023 | 20:00 | SciFi | Japan

Professional boxer Mitsuki was once the champion. One day, he was handed a mysterious leaflet on the street.

In Association With Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

Oshirasama 

Dir. Takako Saga | 2023 | 11:47 | animation | Japan

A folktale of Japan's Tohoku region related to a mysterious folk belief called "Oshirasama". A girl gets a horse from her father and takes care of it affectionately, then eventually, they fall in (carnal) love with each other. Maddened by the fact, the father kills the horse, but the horse's corpse takes the girl away with it to the other world up in the sky. To her weeping parents in despair, the girl appears in their dream and tells about silkworms. With threads and cloth from the silkworms they keep, the girl's parents become able to earn their living, and they afterward make a pair of wooden figures after their daughter and the horse to worship as their gods.

In Association With Aichi International Women’s Film Festival (AIWFF)

Minwoo and Rie

Dir. Jinrung Chun | 2022 | 26:19 | drama | Japan

Rie, from Japan, visits Gunsan, Korea to deliver her grandfather’s unsent letter. With the help of a local boy, Minwoo, she gets closer to the addressee yet acknowledges what her grandpa did during the period of Japanese colonialism.

In Association with Tokyo Independent Movie Festival (TIMF)

The Old Young Crow 

Dir. Liam LoPinto | 2022 | 12:00 | mystery, thriller, animation | Japan

An Iranian boy befriends an old Japanese woman at a graveyard in Tokyo.

In Association with New York Japan CineFest: FilmFreeway

Shu Ha Ri (World Premiere, second screening) 

Dir. Tatsuya Ino | 2023 | 12:38 | documentary | Japan, USA

Born and raised in Kyoto, Japanese calligrapher, Chifumi Niimi, teaches students not only how to write characters beautifully but also break through tradition to develop self-esteem and find a new you through shodo (Japanese calligraphy).

BREAK: CALLIGRAPHY PERFORMANCE 

Session 2: 3:30 p.m. 

Long Story to Short: the selection of films in this session feature four over-twenty-minute shorts.

Blue and White

Dir. Hiroyuki Nishiyama | 2022 | 27:22 | drama | Japan

Ryusuke, mourning his wife, ceaselessly crafts salt, even during her funeral. Witnessing this, granddaughter Midori probes his motives. Safeguarding the region's unique salt-making legacy is Ryusuke's mission. In conversing with salt, he strives to pass down its ancient flavor. Could Ryusuke's bond with salt link him to his departed wife?

Scabiosa

Dir. Tsuyoshi Takamura | 2022 | 19:47 | drama | Japan

Haruka is unexpectedly asked to attend the memorial service for Instagrammer Hina. At the service, Hina's relatives share their memories of her. Unable to bear the situation any longer, Haruka runs from the scene.

In Association With Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [SSFF & ASIA]

Nisei

Dir. Darren Haruo Rae | 2023 | 21:18 | drama, action | USA

Based on stories from my grandfather, Nisei follows the journey of two Japanese-American brothers during World War II, Minoru and John Miyasaki. Stripped of their citizenship and placed in internment camps, they volunteer for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an all Japanese-American unit that sacrificed everything, to prove their loyalty to a country that doesn’t want them. Torn between country and family, they must face the enemy overseas along with adversity back home.

Don’t Go

Dir. Daichi Amano | 2023 | 24:46 | drama | Japan

Enter a world where fragments of memory of the dead can be accessed using a special device. A father, who lied about his whereabouts, dies in a car accident in a seaside town. His bereaved family dives into his memory to uncover his secret.

Chifumi Niimi was born in Kyoto, Japan. She was exposed to the world of calligraphy by her calligrapher mother from an early age. After graduating from Heian Jogakuin St.Agnes College in Japan, she studied in China as part of her calligraphy research. She is the president of her own shodo school, Calligraphy Kyoto and has received multiple awards. Chifumi also started the Shodo to the World Project (SWP) over a decade ago and performed and introduced Japanese calligraphy in many countries such as the U.S.A., U.K., India, Turkey, and so on.

CineFest was founded by filmmakers Yasu Suzuki and Kosuke Furukawa and music producer Hiroshi Kono. While the three friends initially planned for the event to be a small one-night program, the 2011 Japan earthquake's devastating effects made them change their minds. Since then, the founders have grown the event exponentially in an effort to connect Asian, American, and global cinema.

CineFest highlights independent filmmakers who are committed to expressing their voice and vision to the world. Their mission is to explore and find unique talent, supporting filmmakers' work, vision, and causes while providing a playground for creativity in New York City.