After a two year hiatus due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the 2022 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival was the biggest one yet — hosting more than 2,000 moviegoers over the course of the two week festival from March 18-31, 2022.
Events included tea tastings, whiskey tasting, guest speakers, a cat themed opening night, a brew & view and of course an amazing lineup of Japanese Films.
The Island Of Cats
A Film By Mitsuaki Iwago
Cuddly Warm Drama, 2019
OPENING NIGHT
PITTSBURGH PREMIERE
The Island of Cats follows the life of a country tabby cat, Tama, and his human servant, Daikichi, living on an island of cats. Daikichi is a seventy-year-old widower enjoying a quiet, routine life until an island newcomer opens a modern cafe encouraging Daikichi and Tama to indulge in new culinary adventures.
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko
A Film By Ayumu Watanabe
Anime, 2021
From acclaimed director Ayumu Watanabe comes a heartwarming comedy-drama based on the popular novel by Kanako Nishi. Nikuko is a big and jolly personality in an otherwise sleepy seaside town in northern Japan. Her daughter Kikuko is the opposite. Everything changes for the mother-daughter duo when a shocking revelation from the past threatens to uproot their tender relationship.
It's A Summer Film!
A Film By Sôshi Masumoto
Coming Of Age Comedy, 2020
PITTSBURGH PREMIERE
Sôshi Masumoto’s new teen romcom is a refreshing, sincere ode to creative youth and a love letter to filmmaking in all forms.It follows Barefoot and her teen friends who set out to make an awesome samurai film for their school film fest that’s better than their rivals romcom. With humor, heart, and an unexpected sci-fi twist, Masumoto’s film is the kind of movie you’ll catch yourself smiling at in a dark theater.
Hold Me Back
A Film By Akiko Ohku
Romantic Comedy, 2020
PITTSBURGH PREMIERE
Quirky and charming, Hold Me Back feels kind of like Japan’s equivalent of Amelie — perfectly blending the loneliness and hilarity of the human experience into an unforgettable, energetic romantic comedy.
Mitsuko (played by Non) is 31, single, and leads a happy life with her own imaginary counselor. When a handsome salesman enters her world… love throws a wrench in the peaceful and solitary life she’s crafted.
Japanese Gameshows
Game Show Comedy, 2022
Japanese TV gameshows are insane. Rarely seen in the US, these clips and highlights of different shows will make you laugh, cringe, and question who would go on these and why??
Tokyo Drifter
A Film By Seijun Suzuki
Yakuza, 1966
YAKUZA SIDEBAR
A staple in the yakuza genre, Tokyo Drifter adds a 1960s pop art aesthetic to a classic tale of a badass gang enforcer trying to go straight. It’s got the look of a classic Bond movie, but a darker and seedier ambiance.
On-Gaku: Our Sound
A Film By Kenji Iwaisawa
Animation, 2019
PITTSBURGH PREMIERE
On-Gaku—the lo-fi rocker buddy comedy we didn’t know we needed. This unconventional animated film follows a group of bored delinquent teens who come together to play music and discover the joy of creating.
Dragnet Girl
A Film By Yasujiro Ozu
Silent Action, 1933
YAKUZA SIDEBAR
A stylish and profound silent film from Yasujiro Ozu, Dragnet Girl is intimately focused on family and relationships between career-hardened criminal Joji, his jealous girlfriend, and an innocent shop girl who gets pulled into his world.
Stray Dog
A Film By Akira Kurosawa
Police Drama, 1949
YAKUZA SIDEBAR
In this early Kurosawa film, Japanese cinema legend Toshiro Mifune gives a raw and magnetic performance as a young detective who loses his gun and tries to save face by tracking it down before reporting it stolen.
Pale Flower
A Film By Masahiro Shinoda
Japanese New Wave, 1964
YAKUZA SIDEBAR
A pioneer in Japanese new wave, Masahiro applies his mastery of mood to the yazuka genre… A gangster, fresh out of prison, and a beautiful thrill seeker enter a self-destructive spiral that neither can escape.
Sonatine
A Film By Beat Takeshi Kitano
Action Drama, 1993
YAKUZA SIDEBAR
Sleek and smart, director Takeshi Kitano’s film examines the extreme violence of Japanese mobs when it places a group of gangsters on a remote beach to wait out trouble… but it’s only so long before trouble finds them.
Cure
A Film By Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Physcological Thriller, 1997
One of Bong Joon-ho’s favorite movies, Cure breaks the mold of serial killer films. A series of murders, committed by different people using the same strange method, sends one troubled detective on a descent into the killers’ madness.
Samurai Rebellion
A Film By Masaki Kobayashi
Samurai, 1967
Set in the Ebo period of Japan, one family, led by famed actor Toshiro Mifune, chooses loyalty and love for each other over the whims of a cruel lord. Rebellion is sparked and the film slowly builds to a crescendo of samurai combat.
Poupelle of Chimney Town
A Film By Yusuke Hirota
Anime, 2020
An instant classic with a very cool steampunk aesthetic, Poupelle of Chimney Town is the story of young Lubicchi who lives among the thick smoke from the chimneys of his isolated town and yearns to see the "stars" and know the truth his father always told him.
