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Nippon Connection 2025 (NC2025) will take place from May 27 to June 1, 2025. This year sees the fest celebrate its 25th anniversary as it remains the world’s biggest platform for contemporary Japanese cinema. It is expected that there will be around 100 short and feature-length films along with over 70 cultural events. The early highlights have been released and so here are trailers and some…
US-based distribution Japanese film streamer SAKKA will release Masaaki Kudo’s award-winning drama A Far Shore April 18th online worldwide (except for certain Asian territories). Originally released in Japan in 2023, the film is a raw drama about a teenage mother struggling to survive poverty, Okinawa’s nightlife industry, and a desperately bad marriage. This is the third film from Masaaki Kudo…
Welcome to the second trailer post of the week You can find the first post here. I published reviews of the Korean films Journey to Face Them and The Land of Morning Calm (both, 2025) and I have watched the 90s movies The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Red Rock West. What are the other Japanese films getting screened this weekend? Continue reading Love Letter 4K Remaster, Hi ga ochiru, Game of…
Welcome to the first trailer post of the week. There will be one more to come. I caught up on two of this year’s bigger horror movies last week, Heart Eyes and The Monkey, and they were alright. The latter went for grotesquery and achieved it with visual aplomb but what got me the most was the visualisation of the monkey’s presence, particularly with regards to how it would be introduced with…
The Land of Morning Calm 아침바다 갈매기는 「Achim bada galmegi neun」 Release Date: November 27th, 2024 Duration: 113 mins. Director: Park Ri-woong Writer: Park Ri-woong (Screenplay) Starring: Yoon Joo-sang (Yeong-guk), Yang Hee-kyung (Pan-rye, Yong-su’s mother), Khazsak (Yeong-ran), Park Jong-hwan (Yong-su) IMDB Genre wise, insurance scams are usually the domain of thrillers. Indeed, Park Ri-woong used…
Journey to Face Them 그를 마주하는 시간 「Geuleul majuhaneun sigan」 Release Date: N/A Duration: 61 mins Director: Hwang In-won Writer: Hwang In-won (Screenplay), Starring: Seok-hee, Lee Seung-yeon, Kim See-eun, Kim Sol-hae, Bahk Woo-young, Having watched Hang In-won’s previous film, the gently funny short Flavor of Sisterhood (2023), I was not prepared for Journey to Face Them, her feature debut. It is…
Welcome to the second and last trailer post of the week. You can find part one here. Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) came to a close on Sunday and it had I Am Kirishima (2025) as its closing film, so I published a review of that. I also published a review of Flat Girls (2025). Further OAFF reviews will be published from tomorrow. What are the rest of this week’s films? Continue reading Yume ni…
Welcome to the first trailer post of the week. There are just two so come back tomorrow for the next one. This week and next week are a little calmer for releases, which is a relief because I’m back to doing full-time hours plus overtime at my workplace. I’ve managed to squeeze in more films thanks to waking up (too) early in the morning. What are the first batch of films? Continue reading My…
I Am Kirishima 桐島です 「Kirishima desu」 Release Date: July 04th, 2025 Duration: 105 mins. Director: Banmei Takahashi Writer: Aki Kajiwara, Banmei Takahashi (Screenplay), Starring: Katsuya Maiguma, Eita Okuno, Kana Kita, Masahiro Koumoto, Keiko Takahashi, Masahiro Komoto, Kazuko Shirakawa, Hisayasu Sato, Website Twitter: @kirishimadesu1 IMDB In January 2024, a man named Hiroshi Uchida who was…
Flat Girls แฟลตเกิร์ล ชั้นห่างระหว่าง เ ร า 「Chan Hang Rawang Rao」 Release Date: February 06th, 2025 Duration: 129 mins. Director: Jirassaya Wongsutin Writer: Jirassaya Wongsutin (Screenplay) Starring: Kirana Pipityakorn (Jane), Fatima Dechawaleekul (Ann), Pakorn Chatborrirak (Tong), Wachirakon Raksasuwan, Namfon Pakdee, IMDB Police flats are government subsidised housing for police officers…
Welcome to the third and final trailer post for this week. You can find part one here and part two here. I’m continuing with my reviews of OAFF reviews although the rate may slow down as I go back to work. Thus far, I’ve reviewed… The Midnight Sun The Tales of Kurashiki The Outsiders’ Club Yen and Ai-Lee Rainy Blue V. Maria Good Luck Crumpled So Beautiful, Wonderful and Lovely 404 Still…
404 Still Remain 너와 나의 5분 「Nowa nae o bun」 Release Date: 2024 Duration: 103 mins. Director: Uhm Ha-neul Writer: Uhm Ha-neul (Screenplay) Starring: Sim Hyun-seo, Hyun Woo-seok, Gong Min-jeong, Lee Dong-hwi, On Ju-wan, 404 Still Remain, the gorgeous feature film debut of Uhm Ha-neu, is an unabashed teen romance set in Korea, circa 2001. It starts in the spring and follows Lee Gyonghwan (Sim…
So Beautiful, Wonderful and Lovely 素敵すぎて素敵すぎて素敵すぎる 「Suteki sugite suteki sugite suteki sugite」 Release Date: 2025 Duration: 67 mins. Director: Megumi Okawara Writer: Megumi Okawara (Screenplay), Starring: Megumi Okawara, Shin Namura, Naoko Miya, Eri Kamataki, Miki Hayashida, Twitter: @sutekisugite_ Writer, director, editor, and star, Megumi Okawara has cooked up her own unique brand of…
Crumpled だからなに 「Dakara nani」 Release Date: 2025 Duration: 29 mins. Director: Chihiro Yuki, Hikaru Yabuki Writer: Chihiro Yuki, Hikaru Yabuki (Screenplay), Starring: Chihiro Yuki, Hikaru Yabuki IMDB Crumpled is a tersely-shot two-hander short written, directed, and starring Chihiro Yuki and Hikaru Yabuki whose physical performances convey the journey through emotional anguish their characters wade…
Welcome to the second trailer post of the week You can find part one here and part two will follow tomorrow. What are the next selection of Japanese films on release? Continue reading Nemuru Baka, Oshiri Tantei Movie 6: Star and Moon, The Red Spectacles 4K Restoration, BAUS: The Ship’s Voyage Continues, Japanese Film Trailers
Good Luck グッドラック 「Guddo Rakku」 Release Date: 2025 Duration: 104 mins. Director: Shin Adachi Writer: Shin Adachi (Screenplay) Starring: Hiroki Sano, Hana Amano, Saki Kato, Ryo Shinoda, Ayame Goriki, Amane Okamura, Yuka Itaya, Twitter: @Good_Luck_2025 Shin Adachi has carved out a niche in his work dedicated to depicting lousy writer husbands and their hardworking wives. Specifically, A Beloved…
Welcome to the first trailer post of the week Come back tomorrow and the day after for more trailers. OAFF is underway and I’m covering it from the UK. I was hoping to go for the 2025 edition but recovering from a knee fracture took priority and I had to go back to work. Despite this injury (or because of it), I still managed to fulfil my writing duties and cover the festival for the programme,…