TOPICS

2024/02/14

“FAMILY PORTRAIT: JAPANESE FAMILY IN FLUX” FILM SERIES FULL SCHEDULE NOW AVAILABLE FEATURING 10 FILMS INCLUDING U.S. PREMIERES AND RARE CLASSICS February 15-24, 2024 at Japan Society and IFC Center in NYC

Presented by Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
and Japan Society

Director Ryota Nakano Appearing In-Person as a Special Guest

A Long Goodbye © 2019 “A Long Goodbye” Film Partners

Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan and Japan Society are proud to announce the full line up for the upcoming ACA Cinema Project film series – Family Portrait: Japanese Family in Flux. Part of an ongoing initiative fostered by the Government of Japan to increase appreciation of Japanese films in the United States, the ACA Cinema Project has presented events in both New York and LA since 2020, and its next edition will present 10 contemporary and classic films at Japan Society and IFC Center in New York City from February 15-24, 2024.

This special event will be headlined by Japanese director Ryota Nakano, making a rare in-person appearance in New York. Mr. Nakano has been acclaimed for his keen focus on the complex feelings of families across his career, and this series will present The Asadas, his latest film, together with A Long Goodbye and his most famous work, Her Love Boils Bathwater. Mr. Nakano will speak onstage following both The Asadas and Her Love Boils Bathwater.

Beyond Mr. Nakano’s appearance, the Family Portrait series will put a spotlight on the bonds of the traditional Japanese family and the challenges it faces in our modern world. Films such as Keiko Tsuruoka’s Tsugaru Lacquer Girl show the breakdown of this traditional family, while films such as Teruaki Shoji’s Hoyaman celebrate new, invented families created in the 21st century.

The series will present works from both rising and acclaimed directors, including films from three of Japan’s most legendary creators – Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Still Walking, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata, and Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Twilight.

The Family Portrait series is presented by Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan and Japan Society.

The complete Family Portrait schedule and ticket information is available now at japansociety.org/film.

Her Love Boils Bathwater Screening and Reception tickets are $18 for the general public and $14 for Japan Society Members. All other Japan Society screenings are $16 for the general public and $12 for Japan Society members. Pricing for IFC Center’s Yoko screening may vary.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th St, New York, NY 10017. IFC Center is located at 323 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014.

FEATURE SLATE

Films are listed alphabetically.

A Long Goodbye

『長いお別れ』

Sat., Feb. 24 at 4:00 PM at Japan Society

Dir. Ryota Nakano, 2019, 127 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Yu Aoi, Yuko Takeuchi, Tsutomu Yamazaki.

New York Premiere. Based on the book by Naoki Prize-winning writer Kyoko Nakajima, A Long Goodbye traces the gradual memory loss of the aging Shohei (Tsutomu Yamazaki) due to Alzheimer’s and the painful challenges and unexpected joys his two daughters experience as they return home to care for him. While Alzheimer’s robs Shohei of his past, his long goodbye brings new memories and a new closeness to his loved ones.

The Asadas

『浅田家!』

Sat., Feb. 24 at 7:00 PM at Japan Society

Dir. Ryota Nakano, 2020, 127 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Kazunari Ninomiya, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Masaki Suda.

Introduced by filmmaker Ryota Nakano and followed by a Talk Session. Inspired by real-life photographer Masashi Asada, director Ryota Nakano’s latest film balances humor and heart in an unexpectedly true story. As an energetic dreamer in a traditional family, Masashi (Kazunari Ninomiya)’s initial artistic endeavors are met with skepticism and little support, but in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Masashi’s photographic skills are given new purpose, and he embarks on a mission that brings his family—and families across Japan—together.

Her Love Boils Bathwater

『湯を沸かすほどの熱い愛』

Fri., Feb. 23 at 7:00 PM at Japan Society

Dir. Ryota Nakano, 2016, 125 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Rie Miyazawa, Hana Sugisaki, Joe Odagiri.

New York Premiere. Introduced by filmmaker Ryota Nakano and followed by a Q&A and reception. Rie Miyazawa stars as Futaba, a single mother diagnosed with terminal cancer. With little time left, she sets out on a mission to reconnect her family, reuniting with her husband, reassuring her daughter, and bringing both together to save the family business. A popular and critical hit, Her Love Boils Bathwater won Rie Miyazawa Best Actress and Hana Sugisaki Best Supporting Actress at the Japan Academy Awards, and the film was Japan’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.

Hoyaman (U.S. Premiere)

『さよなら ほやマン』

Sun., Feb. 18 at 4:00 PM at Japan Society

Dir. Teruaki Shoji, 2023, 106 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Afro, Kumi Kurejo, Kodai Kurosaki.

U.S. Premiere. A tearful comedy set on a beautiful island, Hoyaman follows the strange adventures of two fisherman brothers and a mysterious artist who drifts onto the island and into their lives. The three are at a crossroads in a deeply human story featuring ramen, super heroes and tsunamis. Hoyaman tells the story of an unorthodox but modern family and the bonds that challenge us to grow. Hoyaman is director Teruaki Shoji’s feature film debut and filmed entirely on Ajishima, an island off the coast of his hometown of Ishinomaki. It features a cast of rising talent lead by Afro from the band MOROHA in his own movie debut.

Still Walking

『歩いても 歩いても』

Thurs., Feb. 15 at 7:00 PM at Japan Society

Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2008, 114 min., 35mm, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, Kirin Kiki, Yoshio Harada.

35mm Presentation. The Yokoyama family gathers for an annual commemoration of the eldest son Junpei, who drowned 15 years ago while saving someone’s life. Over the course of the day, suppressed tensions and resentments are gradually revealed amidst forced pleasantries and shared meals as second son Ryo (Hiroshi Abe) endures feelings of inferiority in front of his curmudgeon father (Yoshio Harada) and passively judgmental mother (Kirin Kiki), both of whom disapprove of his recent marriage to a widow (Yui Natsukawa) with a 10-year-old son. Dedicated to his late mother, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2008 drama is among his most personal films—a masterfully directed, emotionally nuanced expression of the love, heartbreak and comfort within family relationships—and a modern classic of Japanese cinema.

Tsugaru Lacquer Girl

 『バカ塗りの娘』

Fri., Feb. 16 at 7:00 PM at Japan Society

Dir. Keiko Tsuruoka, 2023, 118 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Mayu Hotta, Kaoru Kobayashi.

U.S. Premiere. Traditional tsugaru-nuri lacquerwork is the Aoki family’s legacy, but their business is in decline and father Seishiro (Kaoru Kobayashi) doesn’t know if it will continue to the next generation. The family’s only hope is daughter Miyako (Mayu Hotta), but her desire to lead the family business upsets generations of customs, established gender roles and Seishiro himself. Tsugaru Lacquer Girl vividly celebrates one of Japan’s most traditional arts and asks poignant questions about history, family and if the past has a place in the future.

Tokyo Sonata

『トウキョウソナタ』

Sun., Feb. 18 at 7:00 PM at Japan Society

Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2008, 119 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Kai Inowaki, Yu Koyanagi.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s appropriately terrifying take on the domestic drama looks beyond the platitudes of familial values and empty promise of a happy life into the recesses of the human condition. Laid off in a wave of company downsizing, salaryman Ryuhei hides his misfortune, opting instead to deceive his family into thinking he still remains employed. Equally adrift are wife Megumi (Kyoko Koizumi), yearning for someone to pull her out of her banal routines; teen Takashi who sees no future living in Japan, and younger son Kenji who simply desires to play the piano. Searching for catharsis, the family members begin to live out clandestine lives rather than confront their creeping divide. Winner of the Jury Prize of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Kurosawa’s cynical look at the subsurface decay and inadequacies of the traditional family points to its inherent breakdown.

Yoko

『658km、陽子の旅』

Thurs., Feb. 22 at 7:00 PM at IFC Center

Dir. Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, 2022, 113 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Rinko Kikuchi, Pistol Takehara, Asuka Kurosawa.

U.S. Premiere. International star Rinko Kikuchi plays the titular Yoko in an unorthodox road movie following an isolated woman’s journey to hitchhike over 400 miles to her estranged father’s funeral. As she encounters a sweeping range of travelers across her trek, what will Yoko learn from each of them and what will they learn from Yoko? And in crossing this physical distance, can Yoko mend the emotional distance between her father and herself? Winner of Best Picture and Best Actress at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

CLASSICS

Muddy River

『泥の河』

Sat., Feb. 17 at 4:00 PM at Japan Society

Dir. Kohei Oguri, 1981, 105 min. DCP, b/w, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Takahiro Tamura, Yumiko Fujita, Mariko Kaga, Nobutaka Asahara.

Taking place in working class Osaka 11 years after Japan’s defeat, Kohei Oguri’s naturalistic debut detailing an unforgettable summer friendship between two young boys is tinged with a poetic melancholy. Seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Nobuo whose world is governed by the riverside traffic of sputtering barges, fishing boats and a “monstrous carp,” Muddy River dwells on Nobuo’s last days of innocence as he befriends poor river dweller Kiichi who lives nearby with his sister and mysterious mother (Mariko Kaga) on a ramshackle houseboat. Caught in the lives of its worn-down and impoverished residents—some still living the war, others dreaming of a new life—Oguri’s stunning black-and-white feature remains a heart-wrenching portrait of postwar Japan and its afflictions, the effects of which reverberate deep within the wordless exchanges and crestfallen faces of its downtrodden subjects.

Tokyo Twilight

『東京暮色』

Sat., Feb. 17 at 7:00 PM at Japan Society

Dir. Yasujiro Ozu, 1957, 140 min., 35mm, b/w, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Setsuko Hara, Ineko Arima, Chishu Ryu.

35mm Presentation. In the thick of the industrial hums and billowing smokestacks of postwar Tokyo, Yasujiro Ozu’s crepuscular drama concerns the lives of elderly Shukichi’s (Chishu Ryu) two grown-up daughters, each taking lodgings at their father’s Tokyo home. Hemmed in by setbacks and personal troubles, Takako (Setsuko Hara) seeks refuge from her abusive husband while “delinquent” younger sister Akiko (Ineko Arima) faces the shock of an unplanned pregnancy. In delicate strokes, Ozu orchestrates Tokyo Twilight across waystations of contemporary Tokyo—from seedy mahjong parlors and Western-themed bars with Latin beats to desolate shipyards and train crossings. With quiet devastation and lingering regret, Ozu’s final black-and-white feature is one of his unequivocal masterpieces, a woeful melodrama illuminated against the fading light of day. Note: Reel 2 will be projected on DCP.

For complete information visit https://japansociety.org/film/family-portrait-japanese-family-in-flux/.

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 afar.

About the ACA Cinema Project

The ACA Cinema Project is a new initiative organized as part of the “Japan Film Overseas Expansion Enhancement Project,” an ongoing project founded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan (ACA) to create opportunities for the increased exposure, development and appreciation of Japanese cinema overseas through screenings, symposiums and other events held throughout the year. The ACA Cinema Project introduces a wide range of Japanese films in the United States, a major center of international film culture, together with local partners, such as Japan Society, IFC Center and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Linwood Dunn Theater.

Family Portrait: Japanese Family in Flux is the eighth event in the ACA Cinema Project series, with previous installments including 21st Century Japan: Films from 2001-2020, Flash Forward: Debut Works and Recent Films by Notable Japanese Directors, New Films from Japan, Emerging Japanese Films, and The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from JAPAN CUTS and Beyond.

Past events:

1st edition: 21st CENTURY JAPAN: Films from 2001-2020
https://www.aca-cinema-japan.com/films-1-1 
https://www.aca-cinema-japan.com/films-1-1-1

2nd edition: Flash Forward: Debut Works and Recent Films by Notable Japanese Directors
https://www.aca-cinema-japan.com/films-1-1-2 
https://www.aca-cinema-japan.com/films-1-1-4

3rd edition: New Films from Japan
https://www.ifccenter.com/series/aca-japan-2022/

4th edition: Emerging Japanese Films
https://www.aca-cinema-japan.com/films-1-2

5th edition: The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from JAPAN CUTS and Beyond
https://japansociety.org/film/female-gaze/

6th edition: New Films from Japan
https://www.ifccenter.com/series/aca-cinema-project-2023/

7th edition: Emerging Japanese Film
https://www.aca-cinema-japan.com/

Contact:
ACA Cinema Project aca_cinema_project@vipo.or.jp