April 5 – April 14, 2019
This year’s 12th annual Japanese Currents series highlights recent noteworthy Nipponese films, ranging from anime to documentary to comedy, all while exploring issues important to contemporary Japanese society. Collectively, these selections offer a fresh take on Japanese culture and showcase the wealth of creative invention at work in Japan today.
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Complicity
Directed by Kei Chikaura
Written, directed, and edited by rising star Kei Chikaura, debut feature Complicity is a timely immigration drama that evokes deep …
Cure
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Kurosawa’s first feature released in the United States, Cure follows detective Kenichi Takabe as he investigates a series of bizarre …
Forgotten Planets
Directed by Takayuki Fukata
Two young women gradually find themselves adrift from their creative outlets and lost in modern Japan. Rui, a screenwriter, is …
Mirai
Directed by Mamoru Hosida
Sibling jealousy leaves young Kun feeling alone and ignored after the arrival of his new little sister Mirai. Escaping his …
Mori, The Artist’s Habitat
Directed by Shûichi Okita
This contemplative and funny film explores the later days in the life of Morikazu Kumagai (Tsutomu Yamazaki), a profound recluse …
Night is Short, Walk on Girl
Directed by Masaaki Yuasa
A free-wheeling adventure through college-aged Otome’s (voiced by Hanazawa Kana) alcohol-, passion-, and used book-injected evening as her Senpai (voiced …
Sennan Asbestos Disaster
Directed by Kazuo Hara
Pathbreaking documentarian Hara continues his examination of unjust situations with this 2017 film about the legal proceedings and protests stemming …
The Kamagasaki Cauldron War
Directed by Leo Sato
Shot on beautiful 16mm, this “humanity comedy” follows the characters and real inhabitants of Kamagasaki—an Osaka slum—as they search for …
Tremble All You Want
Directed by Akiko Ohku
Socially awkward 24-year old-Yoshika (Matsuoka Mayu) has never had a boyfriend, but still holds a flame for an unrequited (and …
We Make Antiques!
Directed by Masaharu Take
Take (100 Yen Love) directs this caper comedy about an underdog antiques appraiser who, after being tricked by a convincing …