©Courtesy of Japan Society, © 2024 “CLOUD” FILM PARTNERS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JAPAN SOCIETY ANNOUNCES THE 18TH ANNUAL JAPAN CUTS: FESTIVAL OF NEW JAPANESE FILM POWERED BY GU.
North America’s Largest Japanese Film Festival Returns With Two Weeks of Contemporary Premieres, Featuring Acclaimed Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Rising Star Yuumi Kawai
July 10–20, 2025 · Japan Society · New York, NY
© 2024 “CLOUD” FILM PARTNERS
New York (June 3, 2025)—Japan Society, a 118-year-old nonprofit dedicated to fostering closer ties between the U.S. and Japan, announces the full lineup for the 18th edition of its annual contemporary Japanese film festival, JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film.
The largest festival of contemporary Japanese cinema in North America, JAPAN CUTS returns this year from July 10 – 20, 2025 with Japanese fashion brand GU presented for the first time as its title sponsor.JAPAN CUTS Powered by GU will take place at Japan Society in New York City, showcasing 30 films over 11 days. This year’s lineup spans four dynamic sections: Feature Slate, Next
Generation, Classics and Short Films. Among the festival’s lineup are 3 World Premieres, 1 International Premiere, 9 North American Premieres, 5 U.S. Premieres, 1 East Coast Premiere and 8 New York Premieres. The festival will also welcome major actors, directors and special guests and host four lively parties throughout its run.
“We’re deeply proud to celebrate Japanese film in the heart of New York City,” says Peter Tatara, Director of Film at Japan Society, who organized this year’s festival with Japan Society Film, Programmer Alexander Fee. “Each year, JAPAN CUTS presents a look into the contemporary. Japanese cinema scene, spotlighting both major award-winners as well as rising stars, and we hope this festival helps build bridges between film lovers in New York and filmmakers in Japan—and more broadly between our two countries—with film a tremendous snapshot into modern Japan’s culture, values and soul.”
Leading this year’s guest lineup, JAPAN CUTS will honor legendary filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa with the 2025 CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film. Widely regarded as one of Japan’s most influential living directors, Kurosawa is known for such modern classics as Tokyo Sonata, Cure and Pulse. The festival will host premieres of his latest films—the psychological thriller Cloud and Serpent’s Path, a bold reimagining of Kurosawa’s own 1998 original. In addition, JAPAN CUTS will present a rare 35mm revival of License to Live, along with the North American Premiere of the original Serpent’s Path’s 4K restoration.
JAPAN CUTS Powered by GU is further honored to welcome acclaimed actress Yuumi Kawai. This year’s Best Actress winner at the Japan Academy Film Prize—the country’s equivalent to the Oscars—Kawai earned the award for her gripping performance in A Girl Named Ann, a harrowing portrait of a young woman navigating life on the margins of Japanese society. Kawai will attend the North American Premiere of A Girl Named Ann, as well as the U.S. Premiere of She Taught Me Serendipity, the latest feature from JAPAN CUTS favorite Akiko Ohku, co-starring Riku Hagiwara. The festival will also present the New York Premiere of Teki Cometh, which swept last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, winning Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor—and also features a standout performance by Kawai. Highlights of this year’s festival include:
● Next Generation competition with a hand-picked selection of independent narrative features directed by emerging directors. The festival’s only juried section, Japan Society awards the Obayashi Prize to its most accomplished film as determined by a jury of industry professionals.
● SHORT CUTS which explores narrative, documentary and experimental short-length films, including Tree of Sinners, a dark Taisho fable from husband and wife team Rii Ishigara and Hiroyuki Onogawa, and I Am Not Invisible, winner of the Grand Prize at this past year’s PIA Film Festival.
● Classics with three canonical works of independent cinema. The festival will present a rare 35mm screening of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s classic License to Live and the 4K Premiereof his original Serpent’s Path. Further, JAPAN CUTS will present the International Premiere of a new 4K restoration of Love Letter for its 30th anniversary, Shunji Iwai’slyrical debut.
● Pop culture hits including A Samurai in Time, a breakthrough independent movie which won Best Film at the Japan Academy Film Prize; Blazing Fists from genre icon Takashi Miike; The Gesuidouz from punk director Kenichi Ugana; Kowloon Generic Romance based on a beloved manga from Jun Mayuzuki; and the grim science fiction film The Real You based on a novel by Keiichiro Hirano, with a live introduction from the award-winning author.
● A Closing Night shochu reception following the World Premiere of The Spirit of Japan, a documentary by Joseph Overbey about one of the last remaining traditional shochu distillers in Japan. Overbey will participate in a Q&A and join in a reception featuring shochu from Yamatozakura Distillery, the focus of the film.
● Plus, a secret Opening Night film to be revealed in a follow up announcement later this month. Framing the festival this year is title sponsor GU. Fashion brand GU launched in 2006 as a sister label to UNIQLO under the Fast Retailing Group. With approximately 480 stores across Japan and Asia—and a newly opened flagship in New York City at 578 Broadway and its online store which delivers products nationwide—GU brings Japanese trend-forward fashion with a touch of
Tokyo. Throughout JAPAN CUTS, GU will share its latest fashion with festival goers, and the festival itself will be spotlighted in GU’s flagship store.
All films will be screened at Japan Society (333 East 47th St., New York, NY 10017) and presented in Japanese with English subtitles unless otherwise noted. To learn more about the Japan Society and JAPAN CUTS, visit japansociety.org/japancuts and
follow Japan Society Film on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Letterboxd.
CENTERPIECE & CLOSING FILMS
Opening Film
Secret Opening Night Film
Thursday, July 10 at 6:00 PM
Details to be announced later this month
Centerpiece FilmCloud (New York Premiere)
『クラウド』(Kuraudo)
Wednesday, July 16 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024, 124 min, DCP, Color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Amane Okayama.
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 that takes aim at the internet’s amplifying nature to radicalize the pettiest of grievances into real-world danger. CUT ABOVE Award Ceremony,
Q&A with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Centerpiece Reception.
Closing Film
The Spirit of Japan (World Premiere)
『The Spirit of Japan』
Sunday, July 20 at 5:00 PM
Dir. Joseph Overbey, 2024, 48 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Tekkan Wakamatsu, Kazunari Wakamatsu, Ranko Wakamatsu.
The story of the Wakamatsu family, who have been distilling sweet potato shochu by hand at their Yamatozakura Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture since the 1850s. The Spirit of Japan offers a rarified look inside shochu production, an intimate portrait of family succession and an unflinching glimpse into the harsh realities of preserving tradition in the modern world. Q&A with Director and Producer, Reception featuring shochu from Yamatozakura Distillery.
FEATURE SLATE
In Alphabetical Order
Visit the JAPAN CUTS website for full descriptions of all films:
japansociety.org/japancuts
Blazing Fists (U.S. Premiere)
『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 19 at 8:30 PM
Dir. Takashi Miike, 2025, 119 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Danhi Kinoshita, Kaname Yoshizawa, Gackt, Anna Tsuchiya.
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, told with exuberant outbursts of Miike’s hallmark action, humor and violence.
Cloud (New York Premiere)
『クラウド』(Kuraudo)
Wednesday, July 16 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024, 124 min, DCP, Color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With
Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Amane Okayama. 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 that takes aim at the internet’s amplifying natureto radicalize the pettiest of grievances into real-world danger. CUT ABOVE Award Ceremony, Q&A with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Reception.
The Gesuidouz (U.S. Premiere)
『ザ ゲスイドウズ』 (Za Gesuidouz)
Friday, July 11 at 9:00 PM
Dir. Kenichi Ugana, 2024, 94 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Natsuko, Leo Imamura, Yutaka Kyan, Rocko Zevenbergen, Yuya Endo.
Musician Hanako 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… in a rural farming village. An offbeat, delightful and deadpan musical comedy from cult filmmaker Kenichi Ugana.
A Girl Named Ann (North American Premiere)
『あんのこと』 (An No Koto)
Sunday, July 13 at 5:30 PM
Dir. Yu Irie, 2024, 113 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Yuumi Kawai, Jiro Sato, Goro Inagaki.
Yuumi Kawai won Best Actress at this year’s Japan Academy Film Prize for her stunning performance in A Girl Named Ann, the story of a teenage dropout attempting to rebuild her life amid a world which sees her as only garbage. Written and directed by the lauded Yu Irie and inspired by a painfully true story. Q&A with Yuumi Kawai.
Gridman Universe (North American Theatrical Premiere)
『グリッドマン ユニバース』 (Guriddoman Yunibasu)
Sunday, July 20 at 12:30 PM
Dir. Akira Amemiya, 2023, 118 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Hikaru Midorikawa, Yuya Hirose, Yume Miyamoto, Soma Saito, Junya Enoki. Studio Trigger, one of the most explosive anime studios in Japan, reimagines Tsuburaya Productions’ classic tokusatsu series Gridman: The Hyper Agent in an all-new big screen spectacle celebrating the tokusatsu and kaiju genres and injecting them with their trademark over the-top, stylish action.
Kaiju Guy! (North American Premiere)
『 怪獣ヤロウ！』 (Kaiju Yaro!)
Sunday, July 20 at 3:00 PM
Dir. Junichiro Yagi, 2024, 80 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Gumpy. Ichiro Yamada (Japanese comedian Gumpy) is ordered to produce a “local movie” to increase tourism in his sleepy city. However, Yamada proposes something else—a local kaiju movie. A delightful, heartfelt and rewarding comedy, Kaiju Guy! will make you roar.
Kowloon Generic Romance (World Premiere)
『九龍ジェネリックロマンス』(Kuron Jenerikku Romansu)
Sunday, July 13 at 12:30 PM
Dir. Chihiro Ikeda, 2025, 120 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Riho Yoshioka, Koshi Mizukami. Reiko (Riho Yoshioka) works at a real estate agency in the Kowloon Walled City. As she starts to develop feelings for a coworker, her budding emotions surface long-forgotten memories and soonyesterday and tomorrow swirl in a world of perpetual nostalgia as Jun Mayuzuki’s acclaimed science fiction romance manga comes to life.
My Sunshine (New York Premiere)
『ぼくのお日さま』 ( Boku No Ohisama)
Saturday, July 19 at 2:30 PM
Dir. Hiroshi Okuyama, 2024, 90 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sosuke Ikematsu, Keitatsu Koshiyama, Kiara Nakanishi. An aching film about an adolescent ice-dancing duo that captivates with a wistfulness for the wonders and pain of young love—and at the same time confronts the deeper subjects of Japan’s attitudes towards masculinity and homosexuality.
The Real You (North American Premiere)
『本心』(Honshin)
Friday, July 11 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Yuya Ishii, 2024, 122 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sosuke Ikematsu, Ayaka Miyoshi, Koshi Mizukami, Taiga Nakano. Based on a novel by the Akutagawa-Prize winning Keiichiro Hirano. Following the death of his mother, Sakuya Ishikawa (Sosuke Ikematsu) creates a “Virtual Figure” from her memories in a dark science fiction mystery injected with the same sharp satire as Black Mirror. Featuring an introduction by author Keiichiro Hirano, followed by a book signing.
A Samurai in Time (New York Premiere)
『侍タイムスリッパー』 (Samurai Taimusurippa)
Monday, July 14 at 8:30 PM
Dir. Junichi Yasuda, 2024, 131 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Makiya Yamaguchi, Norimasa Fuke, Yuno Sakura.
At the end of the Edo period, a flash of lightning sends a samurai into the present day. The biggest Japanese indie phenomenon since One Cut of the Dead, this low budget film was initially shown in only one theater, but through word-of-mouth grew into a sensation and ultimately took home.
Best Film at this year’s Japan Academy Film Prize.
Serpent’s Path (2024) (East Coast Premiere)
『蛇の道』 (Hebi No Michi)
Thursday, July 17 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024, 113 min, DCP, Color, in French with English subtitles. With Ko
Shibasaki, Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric, Hidetoshi Nishijima.
A higher budget remake of Kurosawa’s 1998 straight-to-video effort, Serpent’s Path is a fascinating variation on the original, supplanting Tokyo for the overcast banlieues of Paris. Eerily echoing its predecessor in its snaking narrative, Kurosawa’s psychological experiment explores the haunting obsession of a man subsumed by the desire for retribution after his daughter is killed.
Q&A with Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
She Taught Me Serendipity (U.S. Premiere)
『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 at 6:30 PMDir. Akiko Ohku, 2025, 127 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Riku Hagiwara, Yuumi Kawai, Aoi Ito, Kodai Kurosaki.
JAPAN CUTS’ favorite Akiko Ohku explores the life of college student Konishi who forms a unique bond with classmate Hana (Yuumi Kawai). Sensory and sonically attuned, 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. Q&A with Yuumi Kawai, followed by a Reception.
Teki Cometh (New York Premiere)
『敵』 (Teki)
Monday, July 14 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Daihachi Yoshida, 2024, 108 min., DCP, black and white, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Kyozo Nagatsuka, Kumi Takiuchi, Yuumi Kawai, Asuka Kurosawa.
A retired college professor 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. Widely praised in Japan, Teki Cometh won Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor at last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
Yasuko, Songs of Days Past (North American Premiere)
『ゆきてかへらぬ』 (Yuki Teka Heranu)
Saturday, July 12 at 3:00 PM
Dir. Kichitaro Negishi, 2025, 128 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Suzu Hirose, Taisei Kido, Masaki Okada. Screenplay by Yozo Tanaka.
A resplendent Taisho-set historical drama penned by Seijun Suzuki scribe Yozo Tanaka (Zigeunerweisen) and directed by 80s auteur Kichitaro Negishi, Yasuko fixates on the tumultuous entwinement of modernist poet Chuya Nakahara, aspiring actress Yasuko Hasegawa and literary critic Hideo Kobayashi.
NEXT GENERATION
In Alphabetical Order
This sole competitive section of the festival features a hand-picked selection of independently produced narrative feature films by emerging directors who offer a glimpse into the future of Japanese cinema. One film within the section—determined as the most accomplished by a jury of film industry professionals—will receive the “Obayashi Prize” in honor of the late filmmaker
Nobuhiko Obayashi (1938-2020).
Michiyuki – Voices of Time (World Premiere of Final Version)
『道行き』(Michiyuki)
Sunday, July 13 at 3:00 PM
Dir. Hiromichi Nakao, 2024, DCP, b&w, 79 min., in Japanese with English subtitles. With Daichi
Watanabe, Kanjuro Kiritake, Hiromichi Hosoba.
Moving into an old house in the rural countryside, videographer Komai converses with its former owner Umemoto, drawing from personal memories to discuss histories, cartographies and the passage of time, reflecting upon the changing tides of tradition and progress within generational spans of the town’s history.See You Tomorrow (North American Premiere)
『ほなまた明日』(Hona Mata Ashita)
Tuesday, July 15 at 8:30 PM
Dir. Saki Michimoto, 2024, 99 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Makoto Tanaka, Ryota Matsuda, Risa Shigematsu.
A gentle coming-of-age drama, Saki Michimoto’s slice-of-life debut involves itself in the life of gifted art school photographer Nao as she decisively steers herself to her dreams, facing the hard choice of leaving behind the familiar.
Promised Land (New York Theatrical Premiere)
『プロミスト・ランド』 (Puromisuto Rando)
Saturday, July 19 at 12:30 PM
Dir. Masashi Iijima, 2023, 89 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Rairu Sugita, Kantaro.
Masashi Iijima’s feature film directorial debut follows two matagi (traditional Japanese hunters) as they embark on a bear hunt in secret, preserving their custom despite a governmental ban. Told through long shots and minimal dialogue, this austere film allows the audience ample time to reflect on the conflict between tradition and progress in its wide stretches of silence amid snowy mountain vistas.
So Beautiful, Wonderful and Lovely (North American Premiere)
『素敵すぎて素敵すぎて素敵すぎる』 (Sutekisugite Sutekisugite Sutekisugiru)
Saturday, July 19 at 4:30 PM
Dir. Megumi Okawara, 2025, 67 min, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Megumi Okawara, Shin Namura, Naoko Miya.
Imbued with a sense of real youthful energy, So Beautiful, Wonderful and Lovely is a frenetic display of heartbreak filled with whimsical leanings, overflowing with creative ambition. Q&A with
Director Megumi Okawara.
CLASSICS
In Alphabetical Order
License to Live
『ニンゲン合格』(Ningen Gokaku)
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1998, 109 min, Archival 35mm, Color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Hidetoshi Nishijima, Koji Yakusho, Shun Sugata.
Thursday, July 17 at 9:30 PM
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s fascinating 1998 reconstruction of Sam Peckinpah’s The Ballad of Cable Hogue lifts the film’s framework to chronicle a man’s life (Drive My Car’s Hidetoshi Nishijima) after waking up from a 10-year coma. Irreverent, comic and heartfelt, License to Live constitutes an early show of Kurosawa’s remarkable adaptability and versatile range.
Love Letter (International Premiere of 4K Restoration)
『Love Letter』
Saturday, July 19 at 6:30 PMDir. Shunji Iwai, 1995, 117 min., DCP, Color. With Miho Nakayama, Etsushi Toyokawa, Miki Sakai, Takashi Kashiwabara.
Iwai’s achingly bittersweet epistolary breakthrough evokes an intoxicating romanticism of lost love, recollection and grief—all amid a picturesque setting in the blanche wintertide of Otaru. Beloved throughout Asia, Love Letter would capture the hearts of an entire generation, swept over by its sincerity and the late Miho Nakayama’s eternal mountainside cry “O genki desu ka?”
Serpent’s Path (1998) (North American Premiere of 4K Restoration)
『蛇の道』(Hebi No Michi)
Saturday, July 19 at 9:00 PM
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1998, 85 min, DCP, Color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sho Aikawa, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yurei Yanagi.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 1998 V-Cinema production relays the muted horror of obsessive vengeance when a father attempts to avenge his daughter’s brutal murder by kidnapping and torturing a suspected yakuza. A winding descent into a near-fanatical desire to avenge, Serpent’s Path bleakly resigns to a goal which becomes ever more obscure.
SHORT CUTS
In Alphabetical Order
Saturday, July 12 at 12:30 PM
End of Dinosaurs (U.S. Premiere)
『End of Dinosaurs』
Dir. Kako Annika Esashi, 2024, 28 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Kako Annika Esashi, Shota Imai, Leica Sasafu.
A young community organizer, a free-spirited girl and a drag queen set out to challenge a dinosaur-ridden town’s attempt at redevelopment. A delightfully quirky and poignant film from Japanese American filmmaker Kako Annika Esashi. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the PIA Film Festival.
Flow (New York Premiere)
『フロー』 (Furo)
Dir. Shoko Tamai, 2025, 5 min., DCP, color, in English. With Dandara Amorim Veiga, Niara Hardister, Minami Ando, Xiaoxiao Cao, Isaiah Newby, Maxfield Haynes
The word “taboo” comes from the French Polynesian word “tapua.” It means sacred blood. Flow is an experimental short film that honors the taboo inside every woman, the cycle of the moon and the power of creation. With Director Introduction.
I Am Not Invisible (U.S. Premiere)
Dir. Yuki York, 2024, 24 min., DCP, color, in Tagalog, English and Japanese with English subtitles.
Winner of the 2024 PIA Grand Prize, Yuki York’s self-reflexive documentary is a personal essay, shot in an impoverished district of the Philippines, deemed “invisible” by York’s on-screen text. Tracing York’s roots, I Am Not Invisible asks local residents innocuous questions about their lives to better understand them, in turn offering to better understand York’s own Filipina grandmother.
Tree of Sinners (North American Premiere)『罪⼈の⽊』(Zaininnoki)
Dir. Rii Ishihara and Hiroyuki Onogawa, 2024, 25 min., color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sumire, Masatoshi Kihara, Ann Nishihara, Rii Ishihara.
Husband and wife team Rii Ishigara and Hiroyuki Onogawa (composer of August in the Water) craft a surreal Taisho fantasy set in a remote mansion, where a maid is forbidden to enter the room of her master’s sick wife. Visually arresting, the pair’s second medium-length work is a beautifully dark fable.
DOCUMENTARY
In Alphabetical Order
Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers (New York Premiere)
『日本前衛派の開拓者』(Nihon Aen’ei-Ha No Kaitaku-Sha)
Friday, July 18 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Amélie Ravalec, 2024, 100 min., DCP, color, in English and Japanese with English subtitles. With Nobuyoshi Araki, Tadanori Yokoo, Keiichi Tanaami.
Exploring the explosion of postwar radical art in the 1960s and the rise of Japanese avant-garde, Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers is an enthralling glimpse into the outsider art of Japan’s underground movements. Q&A with Director Amélie Ravalec.
The Spirit of Japan (World Premiere)
『The Spirit of Japan』
Sunday, July 20 at 5:00 PM
Dir. Joseph Overbey, 2024, 48 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Tekkan Wakamatsu, Kazunari Wakamatsu, Ranko Wakamatsu.
The story of the Wakamatsu family, who have been distilling sweet potato shochu by hand at their Yamatozakura Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture since the 1850s. With Director & Producer Q&A. Followed by a Reception. What Should We Have Done? (New York Premiere)
『どうすればよかったか?』 Dou Sureba Yokattaka?
Tues, July 15 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Tomoaki Fujino, 2024, 101 min., DCP, color, In Japanese with English subtitles. Tomoaki Fujino’s independent sleeper hit documents 20 years of his sister’s life, who after exhibiting signs of schizophrenia in her early 20s, lived on without being treated due to his parents’ denial of her illness. Heartbreaking, What Should We Have Done? actively explores and confronts the cultural disparities associated with mental illness in Japan.
TICKETING
● Screenings with Receptions: $26 Nonmembers / $18 Member / $23 seniors &
students
● Screenings with Intros or 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: $315 / Exclusively for Members
Prices are inclusive of fees, where applicable. All screenings take place in-person at Japan
Society’s theater, located at 333 East 47th Street in New York, NY.
Tickets on sale now for Japan Society members at japansociety.org/japancuts. Tickets on sale to the general public on June 10.
Press Screeners, Official Photos, and Talent Interviews available.
Press Contact: Andrey & Melissa Public Relations (info@andreyandmelissa.com)
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Guest Intro or Q&A *
Post-Screening Reception **
THURSDAY, JULY 10
Secret – 6 PM **
FRIDAY, JULY 11
The Real You – 6 PM *
The Gesuidouz – 9 PM
SATURDAY, JULY 12
SHORT CUTS – 12:30 PM *
Yasuko, Songs of Days Past – 3 PM
She Taught Me Serendipity – 6:30 PM **
SUNDAY, JULY 13
Kowloon Generic Romance – 12:30 PM
Michiyuki – Voices of Time – 3 PM
A Girl Named Ann – 5:30 PM *
MONDAY, JULY 14
Teki Cometh – 6 PM
A Samurai in Time – 8:30 PM
TUESDAY, JULY 15
What Should We Have Done? – 6 PM
See You Tomorrow – 8:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16
Cloud – 6 PM **
THURSDAY, JULY 17
Serpent’s Path (2024) – 6 PM *
License to Live – 9:30 PM *
FRIDAY, JULY 18
Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers – 6 PM *
Blazing Fists – 8:30 PM
SATURDAY, JULY 19
Promised Land – 12:30 PM
My Sunshine – 2:30 PM
So Beautiful, Wonderful and Lovely – 4:30 PM *
Love Letter – 6:30 PM
Serpent’s Path (1998) – 9 PM
SUNDAY, JULY 20
Gridman Universe – 12:30 PM
Kaiju Guy! – 3 PM
The Spirit of Japan – 5:00 PM **
# # #
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 ofJapan. 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.
ABOUT JAPAN CUTS
Described by The New York Times as “meticulously curated” and “an annual highlight of New York’s film calendar,” JAPAN CUTS delivers the best—and often hardest-to-find—contemporary films from Japan to New York City. Spanning blockbusters, independent features, anime, documentaries, avant-garde experiments and short films, the festival offers a sweeping survey of the past year in Japanese cinema. Presented by Japan Society, a 118-year-old nonprofit dedicated to deepening ties between the U.S. and Japan, JAPAN CUTS stands as one of the organization’s most anticipated and widely attended programs.
ABOUT GU
GU (pronounced as the letters “G” and “U”) was established in 2006 as a sister brand of UNIQLO and currently operates approximately 480 stores in Asia, mainly in Japan and has e-commerce sites in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. the Japanese, In 2024, GU expanded to the United States, opening the brand’s first flagship out of Asia in SoHo, New York and its online store. Inspired by word for “Freedom”, GU offers a dynamic range of contemporary apparel designed to meet theevolving tastes of modern consumers. With a focus on value and trend-forward styles, GU aims to provide high-value fashion with a touch of Tokyo. The brand’s collections are characterized by their versatility and cater to various occasions and personal styles.
JAPAN CUTS 2025 is powered by GU.
JAPAN CUTS is sponsored by the Globus Family. Reception speakers are donated by BALMUDA. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the official Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film Program. Housing assistance is provided by the Prince Kitano,New York, the official hotel sponsor of Japan Society Film Program. Additional support is provided by Sendon and BuyJapon; Japan Village; and Sunrise Mart.
Japan Society’s 120th anniversary initiatives and related programs are generously supported by Champion Sponsor, MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Advocate Sponsor, Mizuho Americas; and Friend Sponsor, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas). Japan Society programs are supported by 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, George P. Hirose, David Toberisky, Joseph Rajaratnam and Dharshini Iolanthe Sivakumaran, and other Film Supporters.The Real You is part of Japan Society’s NYC Japanese Literature and supported by a grant from the Toshiba International Foundation. The Spirit of Japan is supported by Japan Society’s Foodevents sponsors, BALMUDA and Kikkoman Corporation.