The Japan Foundation 2025 Touring Film Programme - Going a bit deeper

For those, like me, contemplating which films to book tickets for at the upcoming - starting Feb 7th - Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme, I wanted to share some more detailed information we've been provided, including when it will be running on in particular cities, to help you work out what, when and where.

Let's kick off with the films themselves. I was very pleased to see they expanded out the retrospective programming, to include Keisuke Kinoshita's Carmen Comes Home (1951, 86 min), Japan's first ever Japanese  full colour production, and whose lovely The Snow Flurry showed last year; and Kon Ichikawa's thrilling ensemble mystery, The Inugami Family (1976, 146 min). Both of which have now been booked.

Those looking for anime will find Ghost Cat Anzu (2024, 97 min) prowling around: eleven‐year‐old Karin isn’t happy when her good‐for‐nothing father drops her off at her grandfather’s temple to stay while he runs away from the loan sharks on his tail, nor is she excited when she meets Anzu, her grandfather’s 37‐year‐old, six foot tall, bipedal, talking cat! After reluctantly banding together, this unusual pair set off on an extraordinary, magical journey, which eventually leads them on a path down to the underworld itself…

For those with a taste more for the dramatic may wish to investigate The Scoop (Keiichi Kobayashi, 2024, 98 min), a film using a bookworm's unique entry requirement for her school’s literature clubthat uncovers dark secrets that uses this to depict a microcosm of the society we inhabit, where injustice is everywhere and journalism is relied upon to, supposedly, fight back against all odds. A Girl Named Ann (Yu Irie, 2024, 113 min) follows a young woman who, having endured a traumatic childhood, finds her life beginning to improve through the intervention of a detective . However, when rumours begin to circulate about the detective's involvement in a scandal and the pandemic threatens Ann’s future, her fate is once again thrown into question. Painful and emotionally‐charged, the film that question the idea of forcing upon individuals the responsibility for broader societal problems within inadequate support structures.

Those looking for something lighter might want to look out for Let’s Go Karaoke! (Nobuhiro Yamashita, 2024, 107 min) a comedy which sees junior high school choir leader Satomi’s ordinary teenage life turned upside down when a yakuza lieutenant desperately asks him to provide singing lessons in the leadup to his gang’s high‐stakes annual karaoke contest.

Those looking for a more historical perspective can check out Bushido (Kazuya Shiraishi, 2024, 129 min) where a respected samurai and skilled ‘Go’ player is falsely accused of a crime, which destroys his family and his status, leaving him living the life of a ronin. When he finds out the truth behind the accusation, he and his daughter set out to restore their honour through revenge, but their journey comes at a cost… Viciously emotional conflicts of honour and revenge collide. Adapted from Toson Shimazaki’s 1906 classic novel, Broken Commandment (Kazuo Maeda, 2022, 119 min) is a deep‐dive into a hidden, taboo class system that still lingers in Japan today via the story of a teacher that has a potentially devastating secret: he is a burakumin, a member of Japan’s outcaste community. Despite rumblings of anti‐discrimination activism, those around Ushimatsu are beginning to doubt his roots, threatening both his position at the school and his romantic prospects.

Just wanted to highlight a few films there, and remember all films being shown can be found on their website.

Finally, the where, to help narrow down when you'll have to tell your friends you cannot go out, important films to watch, here is when the programme will be hitting where you live:

7 – 16 February: Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London
7 February – 29 March: Firstsite, Colchester
7 February – 29 March: Phoenix, Leicester
7 February – 16 March: QUAD, Derby
7 February – 31 March: The Phoenix Cinema, Kirkwall (Orkney)
7 February – 6 March: Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
8 February – 29 March: Brewery Arts Cinema, Kendal
8 February – 31 March: Chichester Cinema, Chichester
8 February – 30 March: Frankopan Hall, Jesus College, Cambridge
8 February – 30 March: Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast
8 February – 5 March: Storyhouse, Chester
9 February – 16 March: Cube Cinema, Bristol
9 – 28 February: Showroom Cinema, Sheffield
9 February – 1 March: The Dukes, Lancaster
10 February – 31 March: Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle upon Tyne
13 February – 8 March: Depot, Lewes
13 February – 23 March: King Street Cinema, Ipswich
14 – 18 February: Chapter, Cardiff
14 February – 5 March: The Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford
16 February – 31 March: Eden Court, Inverness
16 February – 9 March: Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds
17 February – 6 March: HOME, Manchester
21 February – 4 March: Riverside Studios, London
22 February – 23 March: Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee
1 – 31 March: Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth
1 – 29 March: Exeter Phoenix, Exeter
3 – 31 March: Cinema City Picturehouse, Norwich
3 – 24 March: Picturehouse @ FACT, Liverpool
6 – 31 March: Cameo Picturehouse, Edinburgh
6 – 27 March: Plymouth Arts Cinema, Plymouth
10 – 31 March: City Screen Picturehouse, York
14 – 20 March: Broadway, Nottingham 
14 – 20 March: Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham