From July 10th to 21st, North America’s largest contemporary Japanese Film Festival returned for the 17th time, hosted by the New York-based Japan Society. The festival featured 30 curated new and old films from across Japan for a public screening, providing a window into Japan’s cinematic storytelling.
Presenting a large mix of animation, documentaries, short films, blockbusters, and more, this year’s Japan Cuts Film Festival was a fantastic Japanese immersion experience for those who attended. The festival, which ran from July 10th to July 21st, contained three international premieres, 13 North American premieres, and five US premieres over the course of 11 days. The films were separated into five categories–Feature Slate, Next Generation, Classics, Documentaries, and Shorts–and a few films came with special post-screening Q&A sessions, presenting a wide range of opportunities to experience the Japanese artscape.
Leading up to the festival, Peter Tatara, the director of film at Japan Society stated that the festival “is a reflection of the breadth of Japan’s contemporary film industry, and this year absolutely celebrates the scope and storytelling of what Japanese cinema brings to the world.” With such a confident remark, it is no surprise that the all-access pass and seven out of the 30 reservable films were sold out in the days leading up to the festival.
Films Featured and Directors
True to Tatara’s statement and the festival’s popularity, the guest and film list were extensive both in their quality and variety. Guest directors Masanori Tominaga (Between the White Key and the Black Key), Tetsuya Chihara (Ice Cream Fever), Kei Chika-Ura (Great Absence), Gakuryu Ishii (The Box Man), Noriko Matsumoto (Bottle George), Akihiro Nishino (Bottle George), Tomoko Tabata (Moving), Shinya Tsukamoto (Shadow of Fire), Kimi Yawata (Wife’s Power Outage), Noriko Yuasa (Performing KAORU’s Funeral), and Ema Ryan Yamazaki (The Making of a Japanese), were present to hold Q&A sessions and other interviews.
Additionally, two awards were presented at the festival. Actor Mirai Mori received the CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film for his performance in Shadow of Fire and actor Tatsuya Fuji, the first Japanese actor to win Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his career and his performance in the film Great Absence.
To highlight a few films from the festival, this year’s centerpiece film was the aforementioned Shadow of Fire, which explores the immediate chaos of post-war Japan while delivering a critique of war and its traumas. The Lifetime Achievement Award film, Great Absence, was a mysterious drama that explored reconciliation, love, and mortality in a family dynamic. To bring back the nostalgia, the festival also brought back the popular Shin Godzilla presented in a black and white format as never seen before. Finally, the documentary category sold-out star The Making of a Japanese followed the lives of elementary students in one of Japan’s largest public elementary schools, detailing the qualities and values in Japanese society.
Japan Society
Bringing this much diversity and entertainment to New York City has been the goal of the Japan Society in New York for the last 17 years. Ever since its establishment in 1907, Japan Society has been a leader in supporting international exchanges in arts and culture, business and policy, as well as education between Japan and the US. And through this festival and more, they are ever committed to telling the story of Japan while strengthening connections within New York City and building new bridges beyond.
With continuous events by the society such as the future manga workshops, Japanese for Teens programming, and theater and music programs, there remains no shortage of Japanese cultural experiences in New York City. Through their programs and the visitors that continue to support them, we can hope to see an increase in cultural understanding between Japan and the US public in the future.
Jiwon Lim is a Summer 2024 Young Professional at the East-West Center in Washington. She is a rising first year at Johns Hopkins SAIS pursuing an MA in International Relations with a functional focus in Security, Strategy, and Statecraft and a regional focus in Asia.