The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme UK Details 2018

Date: 2017 December 20 07:09

Posted by Joe

UK based fans of Japanese cinema looking for something to watch next year will be interested in The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme. It's set to run from 2nd February to 28th March 2018 around the UK. The theme for this season is (Un)true Colours - Secrets and Lies in Japanese Cinema.

The film programme also includes the anime Sword of the Stranger, which is really worth catching on a nice big cinema screen. If not you can always get it on blu-ray.

There's a great selection of films likely to suit anyone's tastes including Sing My Life a fantasy tale about a 73 year-old grandmother who is magically transformed back to her 20 year old self, so she can pursue her dreams of becoming a singer and make up for her regrets.

While if you fancy something a bit more violent there's also The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji a Yakuza story from director Takashi Miike.

Film screenings like this frequently sell out, so we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

Full Story

Details as follows:

(Un)true Colours
Secrets and Lies in Japanese Cinema

2 February to 28 March 2018

Belfast
Birmingham
Bristol
Chester
Colchester
Derby
Dundee
Edinburgh
Exeter
Inverness
Kendal
Leicester
Lewes
London
Manchester
Nottingham
Sheffield
Stirling

Everybody has once told a lie or kept something hidden from others. Whether for good intentions or otherwise, it is a fundamental and intriguing aspect of human nature which has provided inspiration to countless storytellers and filmmakers.

With diverse cinematic voices, The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2018 features some of the best examples of cinema from Japan and will look at how the country’s filmmakers have been drawn to portraying the “(un)true” colours of human nature. The twists and turns of life portrayed in the programme are at times heart-rending, at other times hilarious, but always enthralling.

After School
(After School, アフタースクール)

Jinno (Yo Oizumi) is a middle school teacher whose friend Kimura (Masato Sakai) and his wife are expecting a baby. However, on the day of the baby’s delivery, Kimura suddenly goes missing. Meanwhile a seedy private detective (Kuranosuke Sasaki) hired by a black company seeks the whereabouts of Kimura. Before long, unknown shocking facts about Kimura are revealed and the situation turns to the course nobody would expect.

Known for his powerful plot twists; this early work by Kenji Uchida is a hidden gem filled with puzzles and surprises.

2008/102 min/English Subtitles

Director: Kenji Uchida
Cast: Yo Oizumi, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Masato Sakai, Tomoko Tabata
Distributor: TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc.)

Showing at:

ICA
10 February 2018

Queen's Film Theatre
18 February 2018

Filmhouse
6 March 2018

Showroom Cinema
18 March 2018

Room for Let
(Kashima ari, 貸間あり)

When Yumiko Tsuyama, a potter by profession, enters an old mansion overlooking Osaka enquiring about a room to rent, she discovers a bizarre collection of characters dwelling in the humble abode. There’s a low-level gangster and panty thief, an old army sergeant and cabbage roll specialist, and a female illegal liquor vendor – to name a few. The leader of the menagerie is Yoda Goro, an eccentric jack of all trades; his simplicity and naivety, however, leave him susceptible to unscrupulous manipulators.

Celebrating the centenary of Yuzo Kawashima, a master of satire little-known outside of Japan, this rare portrait of Osaka low life will be commemoratively shown as part of this year’s programme.

1957/35mm/112 min/B&W/English Subtitles

Director: Yuzo Kawashima
Cast: Chikage Awashima, Nobuko Otowa, Frankie Sakai, Ikio Sawamura
©1959 Takarazuka Eiga Co., Ltd.

Showing at:

ICA
3 February 2018

QUAD
10 February 2018

Phoenix Leicester
19 February 2018

HOME
26 February 2018

Dundee Contemporary Arts
3 March 2018

Filmhouse
7 March 2018

Showroom Cinema
14 March 2018

Broadway
21 March 2018

Eden Court
28 March 2018

Sing My Life
(Ayashii kanojo, あやしい彼女)

Katsu (Mitsuko Baisho) is an eccentric and sharp-tongued grandmother who has worked hard throughout her life in order to make ends meet. Now 73, Katsu regrets being unable to live life to the fullest and not being able to pursue her dreams. One day, while taking a short walk seeking respite from her hectic family life, Katsu stumbles upon a mysterious photography studio – one which magically transforms her back into her 20-year-old self (Mikako Tabe). With newfound freedom and youthful energy, Katsu joins her oblivious grandson’s pop band as a singer and embarks on a journey to stardom.

A heart-warming tale with plenty of laughs and toe-tapping tunes, this cross-generational comedy is based on the blockbuster Korean movie Miss Granny, an Asia-wide hit which has inspired numerous remakes.

2016/125 min/English Subtitles

Director: Nobuo Mizuta
Cast: Mikako Tabe, Mitsuko Baisho, Satomi Kobayashi, Jun Kaname, Takuma Kitamura
© 2016 Ayakano Film Partners © 2014 CJ E&M Corporation

Showing at:

ICA
4–8 February 2018

QUAD
11 February 2018

Showroom Cinema
20 February 2018

Firstsite
25 February 2018

Phoenix Leicester
10 March 2018

Midlands Arts Centre
13 March 2018

Broadway
18 March 2018

Birds Without Names

(Kanojo ga sono na wo shiranai toritachi, 彼女がその名を知らない鳥たち)

Towako lives with Jinji, 15 years her senior, an uncouth man she doesn’t love. Despite Jinji’s selfless devotion Towako never gives anything in return. Instead, Towako cannot forget her ex-boyfriend Kurosakai (Yutaka Takenouchi) and even sleeps with other men who evoke memories of him. One day a policeman arrives at her door, revealing that Kurosaki has been missing for five years.

A gripping adaptation of Mahokaru Numata’s award-winning mystery novel and featuring sublime performances by leads Yu Aoi and Sadawo Abe, Kazuya Shiraishi masterfully directs this visceral tale of lust and redemption following the twisted and loveless relationships.

2017/123 min/English Subtitles

Director: Kazuya Shiraishi
Cast: Yu Aoi, Sadao Abe, Tori Matsuzaka, Yutaka Takenouchi

Showing at:

ICA
4 February 2018

Firstsite
9 February 2018

HOME
12 February 2018

Watershed
13 February 2018

Exeter Phoenix
27 February 2018

Filmhouse
8 March 2018

Memoirs of a Murderer

(22 nenme no kokuhaku: Watashi ga satsujinhan desu, 22年目の告白―私が殺人犯です―)

When a legal loophole allows a string of unsolved brutal murders to pass the statute of limitations, the fame-hungry killer, known as the Tokyo strangler (Tatsuya Fujiwara), suddenly emerges in public spotlight, announcing the release of his “tell-all” book confessing to the unsolved brutal murders committed decades ago. Watching the media frenzy unfold is detective Makimura (Hideaki Ito), wracked by his failure to crack the case years ago. However, a series of lingering questions leads Makimura to delve deeper in search of closure.

Yu Irie adapts Jung Byoung-Gil’s gripping thriller Confession of Murder in this murder mystery, featuring more twisted turns than the original. A huge domestic box office hit, this thriller packs a punch and features an all-star cast.

2017/117 min/English Subtitles

Director: Yu Irie
Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Hideaki Ito, Kaho, Shuhei Nomura, Anna Ishibashi, Ryo Ryusei

Showing at:

ICA
9 February 2018

QUAD
10 February 2018

Watershed
11 February 2018

Showroom Cinema
22 March 2018

Broadway
23 March 2018

Midlands Arts Centre
24 March 2018

Firstsite
24 March 2018

Queen's Film Theatre
25 March 2018

MUMON: The Land of Stealth

(Shinobi no Kuni, 忍びの国)

Mumon (Satoshi Ono) is an invincible shinobi of the Iga ninja clan. Despite his lazy nature he is eager to seek money to keep his wife Okuni (Satomi Ishihara) happy. In the deadly war against the imperious warlords, the Nobunaga clan, Mumon leads the Iga family to battle with a secret plan and some of the most cunning and unimaginable tactics.

A popular and versatile director known for his offbeat dramas, Yoshihiro Nakamura takes on the jidaigeki (period drama) epic, uncovering the untold nature of the ninja and featuring a host of fantastical action sequences.

2017/125 min/English Subtitles

Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura
Cast: Satoshi Ono, Satomi Ishihara, Ryohei Suzuki, Yuri Chinen, Makita Sports, Yuna Taira, Denden
© 2017 MUMON Film Partners, © 2008 Ryo Wada/Shinchosha

Queen's Film Theatre
4 February 2018

ICA
4 February 2018

QUAD
10 February 2018

Phoenix Leicester
11 February 2018

Showroom Cinema
13 March 2018

Eden Court
15 March 2018

Broadway
17 March 2018

Firstsite
25 March 2018

Where I Belong

(Shabondama, しゃぼん玉)

Izumi (Kento Hayashi), a lowlife thief cowardly targeting women and the elderly, goes on the run and finds himself stranded in the mountains of Miyazaki in southern Japan. Along one of the remote roads Izumi encounters an injured elderly woman, Suma (Etsuko Ichihara), and reluctantly comes to her aid. Indebted to Izumi for saving her life, Izumi takes in the homeless ‘good Samaritan’ and treats him like her own grandson, uninterested in his true identity. Can Izumi settle into a new life in the village, or will his secret wrongdoings in the past catch up with him?

A drama based on a novel by bestselling crime fiction writer Asa Nonami, Where I Belong is a beautifully meditative story set in a picturesque remote village in south Japan, exploring themes of human sin and redemption.

2017/108 min/English Subtitles

Director: Shinji Azuma
Cast: Kazuyuki Aijima, Mina Fujii, Kento Hayashi, Etsuko Ichihara, Katsuhiko Watabiki
© 2016 "Where I Belong" Production Committee

Showing at:

QUAD
9 February 2018

ICA
9 February 2018

HOME
19 February 2018

Phoenix Leicester
7 March 2018

Storyhouse
11 March 2018

Midlands Arts Centre
17 March 2018

The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji

(Mogura no uta – sennyu sosakan Reiji, 土竜の唄 潜入捜査官 REIJI)

Reiji Kikukawa (Toma Ikuta) is an inept rookie cop with a strong sense of justice. Fired for trying to arrest a city councillor caught molesting a teenage girl, he is secretly re-hired as an undercover agent and sent on a mission to infiltrate Sukiya-kai, Japan’s most notorious Yakuza clan. Suffering various hardships along the way, Reiji fights to survive the ruthless yakuza world by becoming a sworn brother to the senior member, Crazy Papillon (Shinichi Tsutsumi), whilst acting as an informer to the police.

Coinciding with the celebration of his release of 100 films to date, this hilarious and energetic manga adaption by cult classic director Takashi Miike is not to be missed.

2013/130 min/English Subtitles

Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Toma Ikuta, Risa Naka, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Kamiji, Takashi Okamura

Showing at:

ICA
8–10 February 2018

QUAD
9 February 2018

Queen's Film Theatre
21 February 2018

Phoenix Leicester
24 February 2018

Brewery Arts Centre
16 March 2018

Broadway
20 March 2018

Midlands Arts Centre
27 March 2018

Showroom Cinema
28 March 2018

Initiation Love

(Initiation Love, イニシエーション・ラブ)

Portrayed in the classic music format of an “A-B sided cassette tape”, Initiation Love is a deceptive and entertaining love story with dark undertones set in late 1980s Japan. The story follows university student Suzuki (Shota Matsuda) and his life-changing meeting with Mayu (Atsuko Maeda), but the theme soon alters as it is flipped to side B. Suddenly Suzuki is transferred to Tokyo and the two are forced into a long distance relationship with many complications.

Imaginative and playful in its narrative, this craftily made film by Yukihiko Tsutsumi (20th Century Boys Trilogy) boasts a storyline that keeps you guessing right until the end – guaranteed to make you want to re-watch and catch what you missed the first time. Full of 1980s nostalgia, the film gives a glimpse into what life was like during this frivolous time.

2015/110 min/English Subtitles

Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Cast: Shota Matsuda, Atsuko Maeda, Fumino Kimura, Takahiro Miura, Tomoya Maeno

Showing at:

ICA
3 February 2018

Firstsite
4 February 2018

Watershed
6 February 2018

QUAD
10 February 2018

Brewery Arts Centre
2 March 2018

Filmhouse
9 March 2018

The Dark Maidens

(Ankoku joshi, 暗黒女子)

Set in an academy for daughters of the rich and powerful, this murder mystery involves six girls with a dark secret. Literature club chairman Itsumi Shiraishi (Marie Iitoyo), has fallen to her death from the school roof. Rumours soon circulate that one of the members of the literature club is the culprit. New chairman and friend of the victim, Sayuri Sumikawa (Fumika Shimizu), holds a meeting and asks each member to recount their whereabouts at the time of Itsumi’s death. Who is telling a lie and what really happened to Itsumi?

Adapted by prolific anime screenwriter Mari Okada (The Anthem of The Heart and Anohana), this unusual “of school” film is filled with betrayal and deception.

2017/105 min/English Subtitles

Director: Saiji Yakumo
Cast: Fumika Shimizu, Marie Iitoyo, Yudai Chiba
© 2017 “The Dark Maidens”Film Partners, © Rikako Akiyoshi/Futabasha Publishers Ltd. 2013

Showing at:

Phoenix Leicester
6 February 2018

QUAD
10 February 2018

ICA
11 February 2018

Brewery Arts Centre
16 February 2018

Macrobert Arts Centre
19 February 2018

Showroom Cinema
1 March 2018

Oh Lucy!

(Oh Lucy!, オー・ルーシー！)

Setsuko (Shinobu Terajima) is a 55-year-old office drone, depressed, lovelorn and chain-smoking her way to an early grave. One day, Setsuko finds salvation in the form of John, a teacher in a run-down Tokyo English school who has a rather unorthodox approach to education which includes giving Setsuko the English name “Lucy”. Knowing that John has abruptly left Tokyo to return home, Setsuko sets off to the States on a journey of discovery…

An East-meets-West comedy by Atsuko Hirayanagi premiered at Cannes Critic Week features star-studded cast including Shinobu Terajima and American actor Josh Hartnett.

2017/95 min/English Subtitles

Director: Atsuko Hirayanagi
Cast: Shinobu Terajima, Josh Hartnett, Kaho Minami, Koji Yakusho, Shori Kutsuna

Showing at:

Firstsite
3 February 2018

Watershed
3 February 2018

ICA
7 February 2018

QUAD
11 February 2018

Showroom Cinema
15 February 2018

Dundee Contemporary Arts
25 February 2018

Queen's Film Theatre
4 March 2018

Midlands Arts Centre
10 March 2018

Broadway
16 March 2018

Exeter Phoenix
20 March 2018

Brewery Arts Centre
22 March 2018

Macrobert Arts Centre
26 March 2018

Gukoroku - Traces of Sin

(Gukoroku 愚行録)

Tanaka, an investigative reporter who grew up in a troubled family, is going through a tough time trying to support his younger sister Mitsuko (Hikari Mitsushima), recently arrested and held in prison. Meanwhile, he immerses himself into a story about a shocking murder of the ‘perfect’ family – a successful businessman, a beautiful wife and an adorable child – who were brutally massacred the year before, with the case going cold and remaining unsolved. Through interviewing their friends and acquaintances, stories of their true nature unfold and it becomes apparent that the family was not the ideal it appeared to be. In turn, the interviewees unveil their own hidden natures, revealing a disturbing portrait of social elitism.

Director Kei Ishikawa’s first feature film and originally premiered at Venice Film Festival, Gukoroku is a crime mystery exploring the dark sides of social cliques and ruthlessness of human nature.

2016/120 min/English Subtitles

Director: Kei Ishikawa
Cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Hikari Mitsushima, Keisuke Koide, Asami Usuda, Yui Ichikawa

Showing at:

ICA
2–6 February 2018

Watershed
4 February 2018

Macrobert Arts Centre
5 February 2018

Showroom Cinema
6 February 2018

QUAD
11 February 2018

Exeter Phoenix
20 February 2018

Dundee Contemporary Arts
24 February 2018

Filmhouse
2 March 2018

Eden Court
5 March 2018

Queen's Film Theatre
11 March 2018

Storyhouse
25 March 2018

Brewery Arts Centre
28 March 2018

Joy of Man's Desiring

(Hitono nozomino yorokobiyo, 人の望みの喜びよ)

After a huge earthquake strikes Japan, young siblings Haruna (Ayane Omori) and Shota (Riku Ohishi) are left orphaned and homeless. Haruna is left traumatised by witnessing her parents’ death, while younger Shota is oblivious to the fact that they are no longer coming back. Soon Haruna and Shota are taken in by a relative, but even with a new house and new family, little can fill the void left by the parents and no one, including Haruna, can tell Shota the awful truth.

Director Masakazu Sugita, himself a survivor of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, crafts a tender and humane story focusing on orphans affected by natural disasters – a topic he decided to tackle following the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Sugita’s poetic and tranquilly shot debut film received Special Mention at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, as well as being nominated for the Best First Feature Award in 2014.

2014/85 min/English Subtitles

Director: Masakazu Sugita
Cast: Ayane Omori, Riku Ohishi, Naoko Yoshimoto, Koichiro Nishi

Showing at:

ICA
6 February 2018

Queen's Film Theatre
11 February 2018

Firstsite
18 February 2018

Filmhouse
4 March 2018

Broadway
19 March 2018

The Long Excuse

(Nagai iiwake, 永い言い訳)

Sachio (Masahiro Motoki), a celebrity novelist, discovers that his wife of many years has died in an accident but is unable to shed a tear. Having been with another woman at the time of his wife’s death, Sachio now discovers he must play the role of a grieving husband. Then, he meets Yoichi, the devastated widower of his wife’s friend who also died in the accident, leaving two young children behind. Without really knowing why, Sachio offers to look after them while their father is at work. With his newfound family, Sachio begins to come to terms with the void left by his wife.

Based on director Miwa Nishikawa’s own novel, this gently humorous drama is a fascinating portrait of a character with dubious morality and deceitful inner thoughts. The film stars Masahiro Motoki, in his first big screen leading role since his performance in the Academy Award-winning Departures.

2016/124 min/English Subtitles

Director: Miwa Nishikawa
Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Pistol Takehara, Keiko Horiuchi, Haru Kuroki, Sosuke Ikematsu, Eri Fukatsu

Showing at:

ICA
3 February 2018

Filmhouse
5 March 2018

Phoenix Leicester
13 March 2018

Storyhouse
18 March 2018

Eden Court
19 March 2018

Showroom Cinema
21 March 2018

Japanese Girls Never Die

(Azumi Haruko wa yukuefumei, アズミ・ハルコは行方不明)

A multi-stranded drama surrounding the disappearance of Haruko Azumi (Yu Aoi), a 27-year-old unmarried woman stuck in a dead-end job who goes missing without a trace. When Haruko’s missing person’s poster attracts the attention of two wannabe graffiti artists, her image soon becomes the unwitting face behind a pop phenomenon. Meanwhile, a mysterious group of high school girls begin attacking men at random around town. Are these events all connected to Haruko’s disappearance?

Director Daigo Matsui masterfully interweaves a series of stories and subplots through a nonlinear narrative, bringing the viewer back in forth in time, and drawing them closer to discovering the secret behind Haruko’s disappearance. Based on a novel by Mariko Yamauchi, Japanese Girls Never Die is an anarchic, vibrant and completely experimental critique of modern Japanese culture.

2016/100 min/English Subtitles

Director: Daigo Matsui
Cast: Yu Aoi, Mitsuki Takahata, Taiga, Shono Hayama, Huey Ishizaki, Ryo Kase
© 2016 Japanese Girls Never Die Film Partners

Showing at:

Watershed
10 February 2018

ICA
10 February 2018

Dundee Contemporary Arts
26 February 2018

HOME
27 February 2018

Phoenix Leicester
1 March 2018

Filmhouse
3 March 2018

Showroom Cinema
6 March 2018

Firstsite
9 March 2018

Exeter Phoenix
13 March 2018

Queen's Film Theatre
18 March 2018

Sword of the Stranger

(Stranger mukohadan, ストレンヂア 無皇刃譚)

In feudal era Japan, young Kotaro is pursued by the royal army of China’s Ming Dynasty. When his loyal dog Tobimaru is injured in an ambush, Kotaru reluctantly recruits a mysterious, nameless samurai as his bodyguard. However, “No-name” has a guilty past and his own inner demons to battle.

A classic animation which celebrates its tenth anniversary, this breath-taking and thrilling action anime features stunningly animated fight scenes and is produced by Studio Bones, the legendary animators behind Fullmetal Alchemist and Cowboy Bebop.

2007/102 min/English Subtitles

Director: Masahiro Ando
Cast: Tomoya Nagase, Yuri Chinen, Naoto Takenaka, Koichi Yamadera
© BONES / STRANGERS 2007, All Rights Reserved.

Showing at:

ICA
11 February 2018

QUAD
11 February 2018

HOME
18 February 2018

Dundee Contemporary Arts
27 February 2018

Queen's Film Theatre
1 March 2018

Brewery Arts Centre
11 March 2018

Macrobert Arts Centre
12 March 2018

Broadway
17 March 2018

Midlands Arts Centre
25 March 2018

Exeter Phoenix
27 March 2018