Photo courtesy of Japan Society. Ⓒ Japan SocietyOfficial Site: https://japansociety.org/film/japancuts/
Special Thanks to Melissa Olster and Alexander Fee
JAPAN SOCIETY PRESENTS THE 18TH ANNUAL
JAPAN CUTS: FESTIVAL OF NEW JAPANESE FILM
July 10–20, 2025 · Japan Society · New York, NY
North America’s largest festival of contemporary Japanese film returns for its 18th year this summer at Japan Society! Join us July 10-20 for 30 curated films from across Japan featuring major award-winners, indie darlings, up-and-coming filmmakers, restorations, documentaries, experimental and short films and anime. JAPAN CUTS Powered by GU is a showcase of the latest in Japanese cinema, featuring both today’s most popular actors and directors as well as tomorrow’s pioneering talent. Become part of our passionate filmgoer community for premieres, parties and celebrity guests in the heart of America’s biggest city!
Leading this year’s highlights:
JAPAN CUTS Powered by GU will present legendary director Kiyoshi Kurosawa with the CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film, host the premieres of his new film Cloud and recent remake of Serpent’s Path, as well as showcase revivals of License to Live and a new 4K restoration of the original Serpent’s Path.
Tickets to all screenings are available now for Japan Society members! Become a member to save 20% on all tickets, reserve free tickets for our SHORT CUTS short films presentation and exclusively reserve the members-only All-Access Pass!
FEATURE SLATE
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © ChaO
Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Special Screening—Followed by Opening Night Reception. Yasuhiro Aoki’s debut feature joins the lineage of Studio 4ºC’s (Mind Game, Tekkonkinkreet) innovative oeuvre, formulating an idiosyncratic Andersen fairy tale set in the cyberpunk melange of near-future Shanghai where humans coexist with mermen. Ordinary salaryman Stephan is catapulted to instant fame when he is suddenly proposed to by Chao, the mermaid princess. Entrusted with the future of human-mermen relations, Stephan is rushed into the pairing, amid a flurry of politicking and diplomacy, and reluctantly agrees to marry the fish princess, but despite the makings of a political marriage, the effervescent Chao’s ardent affection sparks genuine connection. With its off-kilter brand of humor, unique kineticism and superb hand-drawn art style—purportedly utilizing over 100,000 hand-drawn frames—Aoki’s Chao is a fantastical spectacle with a deluge of heartfelt passion, produced over the course of seven years.
Dir. Yasuhiro Aoki, 2025, 90 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Ouji Suzuka, Anna Yamada.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2024 The Real You Production CommitteeThe Real You
『本心』(Honshin)
Friday, July 11, 2025 at 6:00 PM
North American Premiere. Introduced by author Keiichiro Hirano and followed by a book signing. Based on a novel by the Akutagawa-Prize winning Keiichiro Hirano, The Real You is a sci-fi mystery set in a disturbing future that feels far too real. Following the death of his mother, Sakuya Ishikawa (Sosuke Ikematsu) creates a “Virtual Figure” based on her memories to come to terms with his loss and unravel the mysteries of her passing. Yet, while he finds solace in this AI simulacrum, will he find answers… and will they be the answers he seeks? A bleak parable for our own world injected with the same sharp satire as Black Mirror, The Real You casts a cutting eye on artificial intelligence, automation, gig work, influencer culture and tech billionaires run amok.
Attendees will be able to purchase copies of Keiichiro Hirano’s books at this screening or bring books from home for a signing session following the film.
Dir. Yuya Ishii, 2024, 122 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sosuke Ikematsu, Ayaka Miyoshi, Koshi Mizukami, Taiga Nakano.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2024 THE GESUIDOUZ Film PartnersThe Gesuidouz
『ザ ゲスイドウズ』 (Za Gezidouz)
Friday, July 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM
U.S. Premiere. With Introduction from actor Rocko Zevenbergen. Musician Hanako (Natsuko) believes she has one year left to live and embarks with her horror-themed punk band on a quest to write the world’s best punk song before she dies at the same age as her heroes Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison. An offbeat, delightful and deadpan musical comedy from cult filmmaker Kenichi Ugana, The Gesuidouz follows Hanako and her band of misfits’ creative process all while balancing banal life and daily chores in a rural farming village. Overflowing with visual and aural charm, it’s impossible not to cheer for Hanako to live her punk dream.
Dir. Kenichi Ugana, 2024, 94 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Natsuko, Leo Imamura, Yutaka Kyan, Rocko Zevenbergen, Yuya Endo.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2025 Yasuko, Songs of Days Past Film PartnersYasuko, Songs of Days Past
『ゆきてかへらぬ』(Yuki te Kaeranu)
Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
North American Premiere. A resplendent Taisho-set period drama penned by Seijun Suzuki scribe Yozo Tanaka, whose past works made up some of the most decadent evocations of Taisho through the visual triumphs of Suzuki’s independent triumvirate of Zigeunerweisen, Kagero-za and Yumeji, Yasuko is helmed by ’80s auteur Kichitaro Negishi (Distant Thunder, Detective Story). Set in the younger days of ill-fated modernist poet Chuya Nakahara (“Japan’s Rimbaud”), Yasuko captures the prodigy’s early love affair with aspiring actress Yasuko Hasegawa (Suzu Hirose) and the ensuing entanglements when she falls for literary critic Hideo Kobayashi. Negishi’s lush melodrama, his first film in 15 years, burrows deep into the tumultuous entwinement of their bohemian lives, while endowing Hirose’s Yasuko with a depth that exceeds the tired narrative of literary muses.
Dir. Kichitaro Negishi, 2025, 128 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Suzu Hirose, Taisei Kido, Masaki Okada. Screenplay by Yozo Tanaka.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. ©2025 She Taught Me Serendipity Film PartnersShe Taught Me Serendipity
『今日の空が一番好き、とまだ言えない僕は』( Kyo No Sora Ga Ichiban Suki, To Mada Ienai Boku Wa)
Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 9:30 PM
U.S. Premiere—Q&A with Yuumi Kawai and Reception. Director Akiko Ohku (Tremble All You Want, JC 2018) shifts away from her novel engagements with the neurotic interiorities of young working women to explore the life of college student Konishi (Riku Hagiwara), an anxiety-ridden loner who brandishes an umbrella on sunlit days. Through a progression of coincidences, Konishi forms a bond with classmate Hana (Yuumi Kawai), whose equally vulnerable and eclectic state of mind suggests a perfect match, but in his utter infatuation, Konishi’s self-involved disposition places enormous neglect on friends and co-workers. Sensory and sonically attuned, even balletic at times, She Taught Me Serendipity inventively constructs an approximation of Konishi’s psyche, and shines in its open-hearted confessions, soul-baring and poignant in their nature.
Dir. Akiko Ohku, 2025, 127 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Riku Hagiwara, Yuumi Kawai, Aoi Ito, Kodai Kurosaki.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © Kowloon Generic Romance
『 九龍ジェネリックロマンス』(Kuron Jenerikku Romansu)
Sunday, July 13, 2025 at 12:30 PM
World Premiere. Perhaps nostalgia is nothing more than another form of love. Reiko Kujirai (Riho Yoshioka), who works at a real estate agency in the nostalgic town of Kowloon Walled City, is in love with her senior, Hajime Kudo (Koshi Mizukami). Hajime knows every corner of Kowloon and often takes Reiko to his favorite places, yet the distance between them remains the same. Despite this, Reiko finds comfort in her everyday life, surrounded by dear friends like Yaomay (Minami Umezawa), the shoemaker owner, and Xiaohei (Kotone Hanase), who works part-time at various stores across the town. One day, Reiko is startled when Tao Gwen (Shuntaro Yanagi), a café worker at Goldfish Teahouse, mistakes her for Hajime’s lover. She also stumbles upon a photograph—one that shows Hajime with a woman who looks exactly like her. The forgotten memories of her past, the mystery behind her duplicate self, and the hidden truths buried within Kowloon… As the past and present collide, romance becomes the key to unraveling the unknown. Jun Mayuzuki’s acclaimed science fiction mystery manga comes to life!
Dir. Chihiro Ikeda, 2025, 120 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Riho Yoshioka, Koshi Mizukami.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. ©2024 A Girl Named Ann Film PartnersA Girl Named Ann
『 あんのこと』 (An No Koto)
Sunday, July 13, 2025 at 5:30 PM
North American Premiere—Q&A with Yuumi Kawai. Starring Yuumi Kawai, who won Best Actress at the Japan Academy Film Prize for this stunning performance, A Girl Named Ann tells the story of a teenage dropout attempting to rebuild her life. Ann (Kawai) tries to find hope amid abuse and addiction and it takes the hand of a Tokyo detective (Sato) to help lift her from the depths. Yet what are the motives of this outstretched hand, and can a single girl climb back to society when the world itself has turned its back? Inspired by a painfully true story, A Girl Named Ann is a testament to individual perseverance and condemnation of larger societal failures, written and directed by the lauded Yu Irie.
Dir. Yu Irie, 2024, 113 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Yuumi Kawai, Jiro Sato, Goro Inagaki.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2023 TEKI PARTNERSTeki Cometh
『 敵』(Teki)
Monday, July 14, 2025 at 6:00 PM
New York Premiere. Gisuke (Kyozo Nagatsuka) is a retired college professor who lives a quiet life alone, until one day he finds a post on the internet about an approaching “enemy” and the world around him begins to melt into paranoia, dream, delusion and fantasy. Director Daihachi Yoshida (Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction, JC 2021) presents a beautiful, thought-provoking and arresting film pulled from what many considered an unfilmable novel by Tsutsui Yasutaka. Stunningly-lensed and deeply affecting, Teki Cometh poses challenging questions about aging, mortality, and the faulty relationship between memory and reality without offering any easy answers. Widely acclaimed in Japan, Teki Cometh won Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor at last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
Dir. Daihachi Yoshida, 2024, 108 min., DCP, black and white, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Kyozo Nagatsuka, Kumi Takiuchi, Yuumi Kawai, Asuka Kurosawa.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2024 MIRAIEIGASHAA Samurai in Time
『侍タイムスリッパー』 (Samurai Taimusurippa)
Monday, July 14, 2025 at 8:30 PM
New York Premiere. The biggest Japanese indie phenomenon since One Cut of the Dead! This low budget film financed entirely by director Junichi Yasuda was initially shown in only one theater, but through word-of-mouth grew into a sensation across Japan and ultimately took home Best Film at this year’s Japan Academy Film Prize. At the end of the Edo period, a flash of lightning sends a samurai into the present day, and to survive, he takes a job as an actor in jidaigeki movies. This fish-out-of-water comedy is a love letter to movie-making and especially a heart-felt tribute to Japan’s jidaigeki industry.
Dir. Junichi Yasuda, 2024, 131 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Makiya Yamaguchi, Norimasa Fuke, Yuno Sakura.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2024 CLOUD FILM PARTNERSCloud
『クラウド』(Kuraudo)
Wednesday, July 16 at 6:00 PM
New York Premiere—CUT ABOVE Award Ceremony, Q&A with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Reception. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s third film in a prolific year, following the creative spurt of Chime and Serpent’s Path, shapes up to be a slow-burn techno-thriller, one which takes its name from today’s ubiquitous virtual cloud. Moonlighting as a black market internet reseller for fake merchandise and products, factory worker Yoshii’s (Masaki Suda) get-rich-quick schemes and morally dubious actions seem to pay off when afforded the opportunity to move out to a remote, wooded lake house seemingly perfect for his business dealings. Rattled by strange incidents, however, Yoshii finds his errant ways catching up to him when unknown assailants target him. Kurosawa’s suspense-driven exercise in the action genre envisions the amplified ire of internet culture as a radicalized hydra of sprouting heads, amassing an anonymous network to quash its petty grievances. Kurosawa, as he so often does, masterfully finds terror in the mundane.
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024, 124 min, DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Amane Okayama.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2024 CINÉFRANCE STUDIOS – KADOKAWA CORPORATIONSerpent’s Path
『蛇の道』(Hebi No Michi)
Thursday, July 17 at 6:00 PM
East Coast Premiere—Q&A with Kiyoshi Kurosawa. A higher budget remake of Kurosawa’s 1998 straight-to-video effort, Serpent’s Path presents a variation on the original, supplanting Tokyo for the overcast banlieues of Paris while swapping genders with its clinical protagonist and adding new narrative depths despite overtly, if not eerily, echoing its predecessor. Kidnapping an associate of a purported child-trafficking organization ominously named The Circle, Albert (Damien Bonnard) seeks retribution for the death of his child, and enacts his cruel vengeance with the aid of physician Sayoko (Ko Shibasaki). The snaking narrative of Kurosawa’s psychological experiment has been told once before, yet its pathway differs ever so slightly. With haunting precision, Serpent’s Path suggests that the destination remains incontrovertibly the same.
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024, 113 min, DCP, color, in French with English subtitles. With Ko Shibasaki, Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric, Hidetoshi Nishijima.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2025 YOAKE FILM / BACKSTAGEBlazing Fists
『BLUE FIGHT 蒼き若者たちのブレイキングダウン』(BLUE FIGHT Aoki Wakamono-Tachi No Bureikingudaun)
Friday, July 18 at 8:30 PM
U.S. Premiere. From iconoclastic director Takashi Miike and with a cast including pop stars Gackt and Anna Tsuchiya, Blazing Fists is the story of two men in a juvenile reformatory determined to redeem themselves through a fighting tournament. Can they change their destinies through their physical mettle, or will the weight of their pasts weigh down their futures? Blazing Fists is a powerfully human film about loyalty and friendship filled with exuberant outbursts of Miike’s hallmark action, humor and violence.
Dir. Takashi Miike, 2025, 119 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Danhi Kinoshita, Kaname Yoshizawa, Gackt, Anna Tsuchiya.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2024 MY SUNSHINE Production Committee / COMME DESMy Sunshine
『ぼくのお日さま』(Boku No Ohisama)
Saturday, July 19 at 8:30 PM
New York Premiere. On the snowy island of Hokkaido, a young hockey player named Takuya (Keitatsu Koshiyama) becomes transfixed by the figure skaters who share the rink, particularly Sakura (Kiara Nakanishi), a rising star from Tokyo. Her coach, Arakawa (Sosuke Ikematsu), takes an interest in Takuya, seeing himself in the young boy. He pairs the two up and trains them as an ice-dancing duo. Tentatively at first, they grow closer and form a deep bond, but as unspoken feelings begin to surface, the harmony of the trio begins to shake. Intimately lensed and told through a striking kaleidoscope of winter hues, My Sunshine is an aching film that captivates the audience with a nostalgia for both the wonders and pain of young love while at the same time confronting the deeper subjects of Japan’s attitudes towards masculinity and homosexuality.
Dir. Hiroshi Okuyama, 2024, 90 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sosuke Ikematsu, Keitatsu Koshiyama, Kiara Nakanishi.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS © 2023 TRIGGER,AKIRA AMEMIYA/GRIDMAN UNGridman Universe
『グリッドマン ユニバース』 (Guriddoman Yunibasu)
Sunday, July 20 at 12:30 PM
North American Theatrical Premiere. Studio Trigger, one of the most explosive anime studios in Japan, reimagined Tsuburaya Productions’ classic tokusatsu series Gridman: The Hyper Agent in honor of its 25th anniversary with the anime series SSSS.Gridman. Following the success of SSSS.Gridman and its sequel SSSS.Dynazenon, Trigger now presents an all-new big screen spectacle celebrating the tokusatsu and kaiju genres and injecting them with their trademark over-the-top, stylish action. Perfect for fans of these genres and deeply rewarding for followers of Trigger’s previous Gridman series, Gridman Universe is a dimension-spanning adventure where the fate of more than one world hangs in the balance.
Dir. Akira Amemiya, 2023, 118 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Hikaru Midorikawa, Yuya Hirose, Yume Miyamoto, Soma Saito, Junya Enoki.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2024 Team KAIJU GUY!Kaiju Guy!
『怪獣ヤロウ！』(Kaiju Yaro!)
Sunday, July 20 at 3:00 PM
North American Premiere. With Introduction from director Junichiro Yagi and actress Natsume Mito. Ichiro Yamada (Japanese comedian Gumpy) works in the Seki City tourism department, and one day he’s ordered to produce a “local movie,” a common Japanese promotional gimmick designed to highlight local hotspots and increase visitors. However, Yamada has doubts about the mayor’s plan and proposes something else—a local kaiju movie. Heads butt, emotions clash and a monster is unleashed. An absolutely delightful, heartfelt and rewarding comedy, Kaiju Guy! will make you roar.
Dir. Junichiro Yagi, 2024, 80 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Gumpy.
ADMISSION INFORMATION & PRICING
Screenings with Receptions: $26 Nonmembers/ $18 Members / $23 seniors & students
Screenings with Q&As: $24 Nonmembers/ $17 Member / $22 seniors & students
All Other Screenings: $20 Nonmembers / $14 Members / $18 seniors & students
Short Films: $10 Nonmembers / Free for Members / $5 seniors & students
All-Access Pass: SOLD OUT
Sold-Out Screenings: There is no online or email waitlist for sold-out screenings. Those wishing to attend sold-out screenings can visit the Japan Society Box Office in-person at 333 East 47th Street. A physical waitlist will begin one hour before each sold-out event. 10 minutes prior to the screening, any available tickets will be made available and can be purchased by those present in the order they arrived. Please note, there is no guarantee that tickets will be available for sold-out events.
Prices are inclusive of fees, where applicable. All screenings take place in-person at Japan Society located at 333 East 47th Street in New York, NY.
About Japan Society
Japan Society is the premier organization connecting Japanese arts, culture, business and society with audiences in New York and around the world. At Japan Society, we are inspired by the Japanese concept of kizuna (絆)–forging deep connections to bind people together. We are committed to telling the story of Japan while strengthening connections within New York City and building new bridges beyond. In over 100 years of work, we’ve inspired generations by establishing ourselves as pioneers in supporting international exchanges in arts and culture, business and policy, as well as education between Japan and the U.S. We strive to convene important conversations on topics that bind our two countries together, champion the next generation of innovative creators, promote mutual understanding and serve as a trusted guide
for people everywhere who seek to more fully appreciate the rich complexities and abundance of Japan. From our New York headquarters, a landmark building designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura that opened to the public in 1971, we look forward to the years ahead, which will be defined by our digital and ideational impact through the kizuna that we build. Our future can only be enhanced by learning from our peers and engaging with our audiences, both near and far.
JAPAN CUTS 2024 is sponsored by Sapporo-Stone Brewing. JAPAN CUTS 2024 is supported by Brooklyn Kura, Glico, Japan Village and Sunrise Mart.
Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Anime NYC and Yen Press. Endowment support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund and The John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family and Friends of Film.
Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the official Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film. Housing assistance is provided by the Prince Kitano New York, the official hotel sponsor of Japan Society Film.