【ARCHIVE】FILMS 2014

TOKYO GIRLS’ STYLE
Dance & Vocal Group

Formed in 2010, TOKYO GIRLS’ STYLE is a dance and vocal group consisting of 5 teenagers, Aya Konishi, Miyu Yamabe, Hitomi Arai, Yuri Nakae and Mei Shoji. In 2011, only one year after their debut, this young girls’ group (average age 15) held their first Japan tour, and the tickets for Nakano Sun Plaza … read more

Mitsutoshi Tanaka
Film Director

Born in 1958 in Hokkaido, he joined Dentsu Eigasha (now Dentsu Tec) upon graduation from Osaka University of Arts, making TV commercials for TV Man Union before establishing Creators’ Union Co. in 1984. As a director of TV commercials, he has won awards … read more

Yûki Furukawa
Actor

Born in 1987 Tokyo, Yûki moved to Canada at the age of 7. After graduating junior high school, he moved to America to enter a high school in New York and return to Japan at the age of 19. Yûki was a student at Keio University, faculty of Science and Technology. March 2010, Yuki received the jury’s special award at the “Horipro’s 50 Year Anniversary Actor Audition”… read more

A Tale of Yonosuke
(2012 / 160 min / with English Subtitles)

A Story of Yonosuke is a beautiful endearing film that reminds us of the incredible impact one person can have on the lives of others. Yonosuke, an 18-year old university freshman just moving to Tokyo, attracts people with his loving character. Set in the 80’s, the story is connected to … read more

A Tale of Samurai Cooking : A True Love Story
(2012 / 137 min / with English Subtitles)
US Premiere

A once-divorced woman named O-haru remarries into the Funaki family, generations of trusted samurai chefs that serve the lord of the Kaga Domain. Her husband Yasunobu is the young heir of the family, however, his cooking skills … read more

ANOHANA THE MOVIE: The Flower We Saw That Day
(2013 / 99 min / with English Subtitles)

Don’t miss your last chance to see Anohana the Movie on the big screen! Anohana the Movie is a tale of five childhood friends who have drifted apart from one another following the tragic death of their mutual friend Meiko “Menma” Honma. When “Menma” appears as a ghost and says … read more

ASK THIS OF RIKYU
(2013 / 123 min / with English Subtitles)
West Coast Premiere

Based on the award-winning novel “Rikyu Ni Tazuneyo” by Kenichi Yamamoto, the film begins with the final days of Rikyu, the tea master with the most profound influence on chanoyu, the Japanese “Way of Tea” tradition, who was ordered to commit … read more

BERSERK The Golden Age Arc III: THE ADVENT
(2013 / 110 min / with English Subtitles)

The horrifying conclusion to the Golden Age unfolds in a magnificently violent nightmare, signifying the birth of new era where darkness outshines the light. It’s been a year since Griffith’s imprisonment by the Kingdom of Midland. Once praised as the saviors of the Midland, The Band of the Hawk … read more

BON LIN
(2014 / 91 min / with English Subtitles)
US Premiere

Director Keiichi Kobayashi’s second feature film is a surprisingly pleasant and refreshing road movie of young duo undertaking Akihabara, the world-renown vibrant holy ground for OTAKU. Natsuko, a.k.a. BON, an eccentric Boys’ Love (BL) … read more

Count Five To Dream Of You
(2014 / 85 min / with English Subtitles)
US Premiere
★Special Guest Appearance!

This year’s alluring Guest of Honor, Tokyo Girls Style, make their screen debut taking on the leading part of this film that takes place at an all-girl private high school where the planning for the beauty pageant is in full swing … read more

CROWS : EXPLODE
(2014 / 129 min / with English Subtitles)
US Premiere

Based on the popular “school of punk” manga by Hiroshi Takahashi, Crows : EXPLODE boldly ignites the gang wars in the subgenre schoolyards of Japan. The deadly road battle quietly begins when lone-wolf Kazeo Kaburagi … read more
*Film contains graphic violence. Viewer discretion is advised

Garden of Words
(2013 / 46min / with English Subtitles)

Directed by Makoto Shinkai, this film captures glowing moments from rainy season in Tokyo, unfolding a gentle tale of youth, love and unspoken words. When Takao, a 15-year old high school student who dreams of becoming a show designer, decides to skip school one day … read more

Kotodama – Spiritual Curse
(2014 / 105 min / with English Subtitles)
US Premiere
★Special Guest Appearance!

Starring the members from Tokyo Girls’ Style, the story evolves around a high school where students start to gossip about the tragic deaths of former students from a gas accident inside of a mysteriously blocked classroom… read more

HUNTER X HUNTER : The LAST MISSION
(2013 / 97min / with English Subtitles)
US Premiere

Based on the mega-hit manga by Yoshihiro Togashi (Yu Yu Hakusho). Gon and his friends visit the Battle Olympia tournament at Heavens Arena, where there’s an unexpected raid by an armed group called the Shadow Squad. The group’s leader, Jed, wants payback … read more

JPOP Splash! 2014
(70 min / with English Subtitles)

Come check out the special FREE event “J-POP Splash! 2014,” a flood of music videos presented by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, featuring the hottest J-POP artists, including Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, world order, Sekai No Owari and more! Don’t miss special guest DAICHI‘s live … read more

Kanzaburo – the movie
(2013 / 95min / with English Subtitles)
US Premiere

This rare documentary features Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII, a popular Kabuki actor who died of cancer at the age of 57 in 2012. With nearly 7,000 hours of footage that captured his life journey, the film takes us through his enthusiastic life as one of the greatest Kabuki Actors … read more

Pecoross’ Mother and Her Days
(2013 / 113min / with English Subtitles)

Based on the autobiographical comic by Yuuichi Okano, this heart-warming comedy depicts a middle-aged comic artist Pecoross’s humorous daily life with his mother, Mitsue, who has dementia that began soon after her husband passed away 10 years before. Directed by Azuma Morisaki … read more

SHORT PEACE
(2013 / 68min / with English Subtitles)

The inspiring anime omnibus SHORT PEACE finds a lone traveler confronted by unusual sprits inside an abandoned shrine in POSSESSIONS, a mysterious white bear defends the village from a red demon in the brutal GAMBO, men battling robotic tanks in apocalyptic Tokyo in A FAREWELL TO ARMS … read more

Silver Spoon
(2013 / 111min / with English Subtitles)
US Premiere

Based on the bestselling manga by Hiroshi Arakawa, Silver Spoon centers around an isolated agricultural high school in Hokkaido at the northern end of Japan. Kengo is a freshman with an inferiority complex due to his failure to meet his fathers’ expectation. He finds himself to be a misfit … read more

Tokyo Short Shorts
(83min / with English Subtitles)
SF Premiere

Discover new talents through a unique collection of five short films taking place in Tokyo and other areas of Japan directed by a new generation of filmmakers. From parallel stories of love unfolding around the world’s tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree, to a surreal comedy of a careless death god … read more

Why Don’t You Play In Hell?
(2013 / 129min / with English Subtitles)

Why Don’t You Play In Hell? is among Sono’s best work as his trademark outrageousness is infused with an affection for 35mm and Japanese cinema. The Fuck Bombers are an eager group of wannabe filmmakers whose dream of making movies comes crashing down. Circumstances have … read more