Filmart 2025: the buzz titles from Japan

The Army In A Tree (working title)

Dir. Kazuhiro Taira
This film is based on a true story from the Second World War about two soldiers in Okinawa who built a shelter in a large tree and waited for reinforcements for years, not knowing the war had already come to an end. It is written and directed by Taira, a native of Okinawa, and stars Shinichi Tsutsumi (Why Don’t You Play In Hell?) and Yuki Yamada (Godzilla Minus One).
Contact: Rie Hatano, Happinet Phantom Studios

The Final Piece

Dir. Naoto Kumazawa
Actor Ken Watanabe (Inception, The Last Samurai and series Tokyo Vice) stars alongside Kentaro Sakaguchi (Hell Dogs) in this murder mystery. The story begins when a corpse is found holding a bag of valuable shogi (Japanese chess) pieces, leading a detective to a young shogi prodigy. It is based on a 2017 novel by Yuko Yuzuki, whose The Blood Of Wolves was adapted into a hit feature starring Koji Yakusho. The novel was previously adapted into a four-part TV series in 2019, and The Final Piece will be released in Japan on October 31.
Contact: Hitomi Hosoda, Shochiku 

I Am Baseball

Dir. Takashi Ono
This comedy is about a young widow with a hidden talent for baseball and a coach who trains her in ways that spoof classic Japanese baseball films and manga such as Star Of The Giants. The film stars Mitsuki Moriyama from Masao Adachi’s Revolution+1 and Takehiko Fujita from 2022 sci-fi feature Distant Thunder.
Contact: Ruka Okayama, Nikkatsu 

I Have A Secret (working title)

Dir. Shun Nakagawa
Young love is at the centre of this drama about five high-school students whose hidden feelings are slowly revealed as they learn more about each other. It is based on a 2017 book by Yoru Sumino, whose previous novel I Want To Eat Your Pancreas was adapted as both live-action and animated features. The cast is led by Daiken Okudaira (Cloud) and Natsuki Deguchi (Till We Meet Again On The Lily Hill) alongside Sano Shoya, Kikuchi Hinako and Hayase Iku. Director Nakagawa, who also wrote the screenplay, is known for Sayonara, Girls, which played Tokyo in 2022. I Have A Secret will be released in Japan on May 30.
Contact: Hitomi Hosoda, Shochiku 

Let’s Meet At Angie’s Bar

Dir. Yurugu Matsumoto
This film centres around a mysterious old woman who appears in a town and sets up a bar, casting a figurative spell on its townspeople. The lead is played by 91-year-old Mitsuko Kusabue, who has featured in films by Kon Ichikawa, Ishiro Honda and Mikio Naruse over a career spanning more than 70 years. The cast also includes Dean Fujioka (Pure Japanese). Matsumoto is known for 2019’s Talking To The Starry Sky, about the devastating Japan earthquake of March 11, 2011. The film is set for release at home on April 4.
Contact: Miyuki Takamatsu, Free Stone Productions 

Renoir

Dir. Chie Hayakawa
This drama marks the second feature from Hayakawa, whose Plan 75 debuted at Cannes in 2022 and was Japan’s submission to the Oscars. Her latest revolves around an 11-year-old girl who peeks into the lives of adults around her, including her father who is battling cancer, while indulging in her own childlike fantasies. The cast is led by young actress Yui Suzuki and also stars Lily Franky of Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters and Yuumi Kawai (Desert Of Namibia). It is in post-production ahead of a local release on June 20.
Contact: Antoine Guilhem, Goodfellas (worldwide except Asia); Rie Hatano, Happinet Phantom Studios (Asia)

Seaside Serendipity

Dir. Satoko Yokohama
Fresh from its premiere at the Berlinale in February, where it won a special mention in the Generation section, this coming-of-age drama is set over a summer in a seaside town known to attract artists. It comprises a series of vignettes that follow a group of young friends as they interact with a diverse community. Yokohama, who also wrote the screenplay, is known as the director of 2015 comedy The Actor, which played Tokyo and Edinburgh, and drama Itomichi, which won best film at Osaka Asian Film Festival in 2021. A local release is scheduled for this summer.
Contact: Miyuki Takamatsu, Free Stone Productions 

Sham

Dir. Takashi Miike
The first film by genre master Miike based on a true work of investigative journalism, Sham centres on a teacher accused of child abuse. But things take an unexpected turn during the trial. The original non-­fiction book was an award winner in Japan, and the film is in post-production ahead of a planned release this year. Miike’s credits as a director include Audition, Ichi The Killer and 13 Assassins.
Contact: Kota Saka, Toei 

She Taught Me Serendipity

Dir. Akiko Ohku
The latest from Ohku, whose Tremble All You Want won the audience award at Tokyo in 2017, is about a university student who becomes mesmerised by a young woman whose outlook on life reminds him of his late grandmother. One of the film’s stars is Yuumi Kawai from Desert Of Namibia and A Girl Named Ann. After playing in competition at Tokyo, She Taught Me Serendipity is scheduled for a local release on April 25.
Contact: Miyuki Takamatsu, Free Stone Productions 

Wash Away

Dir. Ikunosuke Okazaki
This drama centres on a young woman who cares for her grandmother by day and works as a ‘soap girl’ by night, washing men at a bathhouse that is a front for prostitution. Yuuka Nakao plays the granddaughter with Naoko Ken as the grandmother. Ken was a popular singer in Japan in the 1970s and early 1980s, and played a small role in Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days. Wash Away is the second film of Okazaki, whose Encouragement Of Euthanasia played several festivals following its release in 2022.
Contact: Ruka Okayama, Nikkatsu

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