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Forget the neon lights and cherry blossoms — this is Japan like you’ve never seen it. In this gripping short documentary, Omar Farooq dives into the dark underbelly of Japanese society, exposing hidden truths, silent struggles, and the untold stories that lie behind the country's polished image.
It's been about thirty years that anthropologist Pierre-Jacques Dusseau gets objects handcrafted by inmates out of the prisons he works in as a psychologist. Rejected by ethnography museums, these creations are gathering dust in his attic. Every one of them sheds different light on carceral institution.
A documentary program that thoroughly delves into the "work" of leading professionals who are active on the front lines of various fields. This episode explores Suzuki's success as producer of Studio Ghibli and asks, 'What is behind the "Suzuki Magic"?
In 2010, SEKAI NO OWARI suddenly appeared in the music scene and quickly became a band that symbolized the new generation with its unconventional musicality, original lyrics, and unique characters of the four members. The four people, who have been engaged in bold and surprising activities that are completely unconventional in the past Japanese band scene, have finally embarked on the world of cinema.
The documentary is filmed in a children’s home in Tokyo and explores the lives of young people who live apart from their parents due to bereavement, abuse or financial problems.
Gekijōban Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Orchestra Concert (劇場版 「少女☆歌劇 レヴュースタァライト」オーケストラコンサート; "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight" the Movie Orchestra Concert) was a live concert event that took place on February 6, 2022 at Makuhari Messe Event Hall in Chiba, Tokyo.
A film dedicated to the band Fishmans and their "Long Season Revue" tour in 2005, the first since the death of frontman Shinji Sato.
The retirement movie for adult film actress Ai Uehara, directed by Katsuyuki Hirano. A big fan of Ai Uehara have to go on a 100-kilometer marathon to have sex with her.
Documentary about the making of Juzo Itami's film "Tampopo" (1985).
Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "Seven Samurai" (1954).
On March 11, 2011, a tsunami struck the coast of Fukushima causing the meltdown of a nearby power plant. Within 24 hours the population within a 20-km radius was ordered to evacuate. Shortly thereafter Toshi Fujiwara entered the so-called "No Man's Zone," interviewing those who either could not or did not want to leave. Haunted by imperceptible traces of radiation, Fukushima has been transformed into an atmosphere of silence and disintegration, a land of cherry blossoms and ghosts in white protective clothing.
A Documentary in 10 parts covering the film making of Kurosawa around the theme of making the perfect movie or as he says: A Beautiful Movie.
From the 1980s to the 1990s, New Taiwanese Cinema gained international attention for adopting a completely different approach to that of the commercial films which had preceded it. This piece contrasts Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang, two rivals who were the driving force behind New Taiwanese Cinema. The closing of a cinema invites us to reflect on society and the passage of history.
The second of two concerts, where the boys have grey suits, was video taped by Nippon Television. The two shows were edited together and broadcast during The Beatles Recital, From Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, which was screened on NTV Channel 4 on 1 July from 9pm.
This non-narrative film depicts the routines of a girls' basketball team in a junior high school near Tokyo. Shot with a stationary camera, it consists of six ten-minute segments, some of which show the girls' routine exercises, others of which are choreographed.
Norihito works for a company that cleans the homes of the deceased alone. The lonely deaths he encounters push him to confront his own past, but this effort also leads to unexpected new problems. Elder Muramatsu, on the other hand, lives his life in silence in social isolation. The upcoming Sakura Festival creates hope to change his destiny. Will he find a reason to exist in the world?
A memorial to the atomic annihilation of 321 students at Hiroshima Middle School.
A contemporary look at the creation and evolution of Studio Ghibli, from ‘The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun’ (1968) to ‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997).
An experimental music film showcasing the filming locations of "Twin Peaks" using silent footage and eleven tracks from the original score composed by Angelo Badalamenti. It was released only on LaserDisc in Japan, and includes liner notes with lyrics to three songs performed by Julee Cruise.
A documentary about the lives of actors in the Sakura-tai theatrical troupe, which had arrived in the island of Hiroshima to begin preparations for the staging of a play just before the atomic bombing.
A documentary exploring the multiple facets of sexuality, the film took over five years of preparation and two years' filming. From the United States to Japan, via Brazil, Raphaël Sibilla delves into the world of the staging and fulfilment of fantasies, from the most straightforward – swinging soirées and SM bars – to the most extreme, fetishism and scarification. Although the notion of sexual pleasure is always present, the filmmaker gradually enlarges upon his subject and moves away from the simple, raw representation of sexual practices. He raises more general issues, without ever being judgemental, about his interviewees’ relationship to their bodies, seeking to understand the secret motivations and aspirations of men and women who are sometimes ready to go as far as mutilation to experience more intense pleasure.
We follow the epic lives of sumo legends who made it from humble beginnings in Hawaii, to becoming the first foreigners to rise to the highest ranks in sumo. Starting with Takamiyama who paved the path for Konishiki, Akebono, and Musashimaru who soon followed and ignited sumo fandom around the world. As diplomats for the sport and Japanese culture, these 600 pound outsiders share their hero’s journey from a small Hawaiian village, to having God-like adulation from fans across the world.
Official making-of documentary for Daigo Matsui’s 2017 film Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops.
This documentary follows the last days of actress KIKI Kirin, who passed away on September 15, 2018. The documentary is the first long-term, in-depth coverage of Ki-kin, and is a re-edited version of the NHK documentary of the same title that was broadcast on September 26, 2006, adding previously unseen footage. She was loved all over Japan for her blunt remarks, her attentive concern for those around her, and her overflowing sense of humor. Despite her busy schedule, she valued her daily life and had her own unique style, even though she talked about life as it came. This film captures the last days of her life and gives us hints for living from her "life as it comes" and her many inspiring words.
Keyakizaka46's first documentary film.
Relax and let your brain melt in a ADHD riddled mess that only an overdose of LSD could produce, slip into a unstable mental state where seizure induced visual effects take over your mind.
Two weeks after the earthquake, writer and movie director Tatsuya Mori, journalist Takeharu Watai, movie director Yojyu Matsubayashi, and movie producer Takuji Yasuoka, headed for the disaster stricken area, not thinking this film would become a production. "Only to confirm the situation" was their common objective.
Yoshiaki Nishimura discusses Studio Ponoc's founding, their creative principles and the inspiration behind their three "Modest Heroes" shorts.
Sanyo Electric Tramway carried 586 million people through Shimonoseki City over the 45 years of operation, from 1926 to 1971. Based on colour footage and photographs taken by former city employee Seiichiro Tomura using an 8 mm camera on the last day of operation, and featuring rare audio recordings of the train interior and the farewell ceremony, this documentary is a nostalgic look at the history of the city.
Yellow Magic Orchestra concert recorded in late December 1981 at the Shinjuku Koma Theater.
In 1961, a spectacular criminal case shocks Japan: at what became known as the “Nabari Poison Wine” incident, five people lose their lives at a village social gathering. One of the attendants, Masaru OKUNISHI, is made out as the main suspect. Rumor has it that he wanted to kill his wife and his lover in order to end his extra-marital affair. After being questioned by the police for days, he signs a confession, only to withdraw it soon afterwards. Nonetheless, he is sentenced to death and all pleas for a retrial are denied.
The Making of the movie "Yakuza Apocalypse".
Crew and actors prepare for Mamoru Oshii's stage version of Tetsujin 28.
Akio Sakurai has dedicated his life to honoring Jimmy Page. For 30 years he recreated vintage Zeppelin concerts note-for-note in small Tokyo clubs. Moving to L.A. to pursue his tribute dream, cultures clash and Akio’s idyllic vision meets reality.
The documentary sees actor Yumoto Yuma guide the viewers through hide’s last moments and the documentary features footage taken on the day before his death, the first time it’s been seen publicly. We also see Yumoto travel throughout Japan and Los Angeles as he pieces together the life and history of hide. “HURRY GO ROUND” also features appearances by Hiroshi Matsumoto (hide’s brother), the band Spread Beaver, and recording engineer Eric Westfall among others.
A documentary which follows director Wim Wenders and Sean Naughton, the high-definition-video designer on UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD, in Tokyo, and details the creation of the film’s groundbreaking high-definition sequences.
180 kilometers down wind of Chernobyl, the village of Budische was evacuated except for 55 older residents who refused to leave and one young man, Alexei who wanted to stay with his parents. This is a simple story of life in Budische 14 years later, as told in voiceover by Alexei. The Belarus village is built around a common spring from which everyone draws water, toting it back to their homes, and to which the women walk to do their laundry outside.
Revue Starlight Orchestra Live "Starry Konzert" was a live concert event held at Nakano Sunplaza in Tokyo on March 31, 2019.
The story follows the "father and son", actor Teruyuki Kagawa and his father, Kabuki grandee Ennosuke Ichikawa III (now Enno II, 73), who were once torn apart but, lured by a strange fate, are now trying to reconnect. The film follows their 300-day drama. Kagawa's parents divorced when he was a child and he was never allowed to see his father. She has always wondered what her father was like. Kagawa has held on to this thought for some time. Then, in September 2011, she suddenly announced her intention to enter the Kabuki world. Her father, Ennosuke, also attracted attention when he announced his return to the stage eight years after suffering a stroke. Then began their epic days together. Kagawa stayed at home and spent every day practising. His father, Ennosuke, battled with screaming pain and devoted himself to rehabilitation, while at the same time training his son, Kagawa. Father and son are driven by Kabuki, as if they are trying to regain something they have lost.
What is peace? What is coexistence? And what are the basis for them? PEACE is a visual-essay-like observational documentary, which contemplates these questions by observing the daily lives of people and cats in Okayama city, Japan, where life and death, acceptance and rejection are intermingled.
Confronting half of her mother’s life—her mother who had survived the Jeju April 3 Incident—the director tries to scoop out disappearing memories. A tale of family, which carries on from Dear Pyongyang, carving out the cruelty of history, and questioning the precarious existence of the nation-state.
As a child, Victor Starffin fled the Russian Revolution and settled in Japan, where he grew up to find success as a baseball superstar. However, he constantly battled to overcome many hardships such as poverty, xenophobia, and a world war. Starffin is survived by his two daughters who take us on a wild ride of shifting identities, international rivalries, tragic love, and one heck of a fastball.
Behind the scenes of Battle Royale II
Sequel to MAD Video and Cell's Death Women
A tour through the city of Tokyo from its waterways, originally shown in a Roppongi Hills installation space, this short film was soon adapted into a DVD with all 4 angles captured and shown in the original exhibition and a full view that condenses them onto one screen.
Part documentary, part fiction this film revolves around the life of the haiku poet Seigetsu Inoue who wandered Ina Valley for about 30 years from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era.
On the Mongolian plains, a young girl, Puujee, helps her herder family with their animals. Chronicling the everyday life of Puujee's family, this documentary offers a fascinating look at Mongolian nomadic culture, which is verging on extinction. Taught to ride horses at an early age and wise beyond her years, the 6-year-old Puujee contributes to the family livelihood with her uncanny ability to tame wild horses.
To address the social crisis, Chiken - a buddhist monk - throws himself into various tasks such as a suicide helpline, in his temple in Yamanashi. In Fukushima, his old mate Ryûgyô - whose temple was wrecked by the tsunami - lives in a portacabin and works on construction sites.
Every day, people would queue for over two hours for a bowl of ramen. What’s the celebrated chef’s secret ingredient? There is no secret ingredient. In fact, as most fans of Taishoken believe, it’s the charisma of owner Kazuo Yamagishi that attracted people from all around Japan to his modest shop. His personality and love for his craft, combined with a precise mélange of flavours, combined to create perfection in each ramen bowl. This heart-warming documentary is not just for noodle fans, but for anyone who loves to be inspired by passionate people.
A documentary about Hino Hideshi, a famous horror manga artist in Japan.
AnniversaryLove Live! Anime 10th Anniversary Overseas Event (TV アニメ放送10 周年記念「LoveLive! Overseas Events」) is an overseas live event held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Love Live! School Idol Project anime, which took place in the following locations: Taipei, Seoul and Guangzhou.
This is a short special on Twinkle NORA Rock Me!. Where staff members and NORA's VA are interviewed, The band Vigilante is interviewed and performs the NORA theme. Plus we see the adventures of a live action NORA.
In Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, “QUON CHOCOLATE” is gaining popularity for its carefully selected flavors and colorful designs. This brand, which now has 52 locations nationwide, has continued to offer a creative workplace to people of many diverse backgrounds, including those with mental or physical disabilities, single parents, those who have never attended school, to sexual minorities, and many others. This film depicts the tumultuous 19 years of the chocolate brand’s pursuit of ideals. The newest work of the producer of the documentary “Life is Fruity.”
“In Search of Unreturned Soldiers was about former soldiers of the Japanese army who chose not to return to Japan after the war. I found several of them who had remained in Thailand. Two years later, I invited one of them to make his first return visit to Japan and documented it in Outlaw-Matsu Returns Home. During the filming, my subject Fujita asked me to buy him a cleaver so that he could kill his ‘vicious brother.’ I was shocked, and asked him to wait a day so that I could plan how to film the scene. By the next morning, to my relief, Fujita had calmed down and changed his mind about killing his brother. But I couldn’t have had a sharper insight into the ethical questions provoked by this kind of documentary filmmaking.” —Shôhei Imamura