The Reverse Diaries

The story of a teenage boy called Yu, who falls for Yoko, a girl he runs into while operating for the sake of sin as an upskirt photographer in an offshoot of the porn industry. His attempts to woo her are complicated by a spot of cross-dressing - which convinces Yoko that she is lesbian - dalliances with kung-fu and crime, and a constant struggle with the guilt that's a legacy of his Catholic upbringing.

After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Futaba resolves to spend her remaining time reuniting her broken family, reopening the long-closed bathhouse, and helping her shy daughter Azumi learn to stand on her own.

In Tokyo, lonely patrons pay to sleep ("soine") with someone. Massage, cuddle, sleep… for comfort and nothing more than the warm embrace of another. Tasuku, a young man fresh out of a relationship, starts a new job as one of the cuddlers. He's nervous and reticent, but soon finds himself with a procession of clients, male as well as female. In his unique position as their companion, he finds himself privy to the true selves they keep closeted. Tender performance and contemplative writing elevate an exploration of the human need for comfort and tenderness, while learning to be true to oneself.

TV producer Kei and her recently retired comedian boyfriend Yoshi are working to conceive their first child as they consider marriage approaching mid-thirties—a process complicated by the fact that Kei has continued taking contraceptives. Annoyed by Yoshi relaxing into domestic life and slacking off at his part-time job, Kei has finally worked around her male colleagues’ obstruction to spearhead an innovative web series guest hosted by rotating everyday people. She invites Shiori, a young trans man working for her office’s delivery service and moonlighting as a bartender at an LGBTQ-inclusive space, to kick off the program. However, as Kei pushes forward, she reaches a breaking point.

A pair of parking guards, Makoto and Shige, they are dispatched from a private company and are employed by the country as public servants. They crack down on illegal parking relentlessly, and because of their appearance, they are called “Euglena,” green tiny organism. Makoto, a straight arrow, strictly clamps down all the unlawful parking cars, but Shige, a loose cannon, pardons girls who park illegally. These two people receive a business request at a downtown area in the middle of the night because they’ll get more money than doing in the daytime. However, night-time working becomes totally different then usual.

The story begins with a little boy named Syui, a cheerful child who is focussed on going to a museum with his father. Unbeknownst to him, when he returns home, his mother and sister will be gone as his parents have decided to separate. We get a glimpse of what happens to Syui and his family during this period. In his latest film, FUJIKAWA Fumito (The Name of the Whale (2015), winner of the Audience Award at the 2015 Pia Film Festival) presents a dramamentary shot in the suburbs of Tokyo with a real-life family of four acting out the split. With no script to work from and naturalistic performances from the Hirabuki family based on their everyday lives, FUJIKAWA and his non-professional cast give us an honest snapshot of contemporary city life in Japan in a light but absorbing experience.

On a normal day, a stranger breaks into Sumire's apartment and assaults her. Sumire reacts incredibly calmly to the incident, but she still feels the dangers and uncertainties creeping upon her. All that seem to be peaceful and ordinary start to collapse. As everything slips toward the unexpected, Sumire starts writing again, and reinvestigating the relationships around her.

A short film by Risa Takeuchi.

On a warm summer day, a boy heard the sound of bells ringing, as if in celebration, in the mountain near his home. Several years later in that same mountain, the mushishi Ginko stumbles upon a young girl in a mountain with branches and leaves growing out of her body. He later realises that she is the lord of that mountain but finds it strange that a human like her was chosen as the lord. He meets her older brother who has continued to search for her ever since she disappeared while accompanying him on a stormy day. The story is about Ginko’s peculiar journey amidst the occult to unravel the mystery behind the enigmatic girl called Kaya and the mountain that has become her home.

Seiichi is the owner of a flower shop. He enjoys his peaceful single life. Kiho runs the ramen restaurant left to her by her father, but she's thinking of closing it.

2010 release

A women challenges herself to do more and overcome various obstacles of life by taking inspiration from her soothing music.

Hanae is a woman who wants to marry. She goes to the best matrimonial agency in her town. The agency counselor suggests the "peeping matchmaking", which allows her to peek into her partner's private life.

Onna Kazoku